Doing What's Right
by negative 97
Summary: Wilma, just another rank and file soldier of the White Fang, joined up with the group for the simple goal of changing her people's lives for the better. Arduous challenges and eye opening events will force her to question everything she has ever believed in and with her friend Ashanti, she will either achieve what she wants, or fall to the forces seeking the world's end.
1. Chapter 1 Crazy Kids

Ch. 1

Crazy Kids

 _RWBY is the property of its respective owners_

Get in, get the Schnee dust containers, get out, and return back to base. The icon of the White Fang said this as if they were going to pick up some groceries, but all the soldiers currently situated in the bullhead provided by their new benefactor doubted it would be so simple. Some of the soldiers were leaning back in their chairs without a care in the world while others were recklessly fiddling with their shiny new guns or razor sharp swords.

One in particular, a tall, stout Faunus with antlers sticking out of the sides of her head, paced around the passenger area restlessly and constantly paused in her nervous stride to check her rifle for any deficiencies, meticulously count the amount of rounds she had, and sharpen her blade for what seemed like the umpteenth time. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, the restless White Fang grunt turned her head to find her partner who was shorter than her giving her a concerned look even when her eyes were obscured by the mask.

"Wilma, calm down; we're just going to pick up the Schnee dust containers and then we're going to back to base," the White Fang grunt's partner assured her causing the heavyset Faunus to do one last checkup on her weapons before sitting down next to her partner and opted to just stare down at her combat boots.

"What does the White Fang need with all this dust anyway?" another White Fang soldier mused while picking his nose while one of his cohorts sat forward and put his hands on his knees.

"I don't know, but who gives a shit anyway? If having all this dust helps us get back at those damn humans, then I'm all for it," the White Fang soldier replied causing his cohort who was picking his nose to give a half-hearted nod and switched to picking his ear with his finger.

"I guess that makes sense, but who's this guy giving the White Fang all this stuff?" Wilma's friend asked no one in particular causing some of the soldiers to look around the passenger area while some stared up at the ceiling of the bullhead before someone spoke up.

"I don't know, but I heard stories; some say that it's the Schnees giving the White Fang all this stuff," one soldier said causing some of her cohorts to shoot her dirty looks while Wilma and her friend just subtly shook their heads at this statement.

"What dumbass told you that?" the unsavory White Fang soldier scoffed at his comrade who huffed and folded her arms while Wilma stared out the window to do something to pass the time.

"Yeah, no way would those slave drivers do that," the laid back White Fang grunt agreed as he put one leg over another and focused on scraping the dirt underneath his fingernails.

"It was some guy back at base, alright!? He says that the Schnees are giving the White Fang weapons so that way the other kingdoms have to spend more and more lien to buy more dust to fend off the White Fang and when all the competitors have no more dust left, the Schnees are the only company places like Atlas or Vale can buy their dust from. Boom, profit," the indignant White Fang goon replied in a somewhat smug tone causing most of the soldiers to think about this while Wilma scrunched her lips together and nodded as she suddenly turned her gaze to her comrades.

"Of course those sons of bitches would do that! All they think about is money or profit without considering the Faunus who that break their backs every damn day to make sure that they can live like pompous assholes in the first place! If I ever get my hands on a Schnee I'm going to cut em' ear to ear or better yet, just drag em' to a back alley and beat em to death with my bare hands!" the unsavory White Fang soldier shouted while tightly clenching his fists while Wilma gritted her teeth and went back to looking out the window.

"That's sick," Wilma muttered under her breathe causing her friend to nod despite her dislike of the Schnee Dust Company while the unsavory White Fang soldier scoffed and stood up causing the stout Faunus to turn her head with a frown.

"Is that so, eh? Well, if you think I'm bad, you should hear what Adam does to Schnees," the unsavory White Fang soldier responded casually as if he was picking what flavor he would want for an ice cream while Wilma growled and glared at her cohort who didn't back down and grasped the hilt of his sword.

"I may not like humans very much, especially the Schnees, but I would never do as barbaric as that," Wilma shot back at her comrade who sneered at what she said and took a baby step toward her friend causing Wilma's friend to grip the hilt of her sword causing him to snarl, but sit back down in his seat.

"Easy back there, baby teeth; save your energy for the real enemy. I would have to agree with the lady though; the White Fang is a force for good and if we just start cutting people, our brethren might get the wrong idea about us," the pilot of the bullhead shouted over his shoulder to the grunts situated in the passenger area causing the unsavory White Fang soldier and Wilma to glower at each other one last time before breaking off their stare.

"Anyone else find it funny that even after all those missions we're still considered baby teeth?" the laidback White Fang grunt off-handedly stated causing some of the soldiers to agree with him while the pilot just laughed softly.

"Protecting high ranking members and escorting cargo don't help grow your fangs, newbie," the pilot replied jovially causing the soldiers to roll their eyes as the pilot stabilized the bullhead causing the soldiers to get up and grab the railing so they would be ready for deployment.

"Alright baby teeth, I'm setting us down for a landing and after that you guys will set the tow cables up so we can haul our loot back to base," the pilot ordered as he gently set the aircraft down onto the ground and opened up the ramp causing the grunts to grab the tow cables and went to work attaching them to the bullhead.

"Thanks for the help back there, Ashanti," Wilma gratefully stated to her friend who grinned and nodded back as they both attached the cables to the bullhead and subtly glared at the orange-haired man wearing the bowler hat as Wilma finished attaching her cable and thumped the exterior of the aircraft twice.

"You know I got your back Wilma and I know Adam says that working with this guy is the key to what we've been fighting for, but sometimes I just want to shove his stupid cane down his throat," Ashanti furiously whispered to her friend as she attached her cable to the bullhead and gave the aircraft two thumps with her fist.

"You and me both," Wilma agreed with her friend with a shake of her head as she finished attaching her last cable and thumped the bullhead twice while continuing to ignore the rather…unpleasant comments bowler hat was making about her Faunus brethren.

As the duo set to work patrolling the area, they both didn't notice the sneaky figure silently land behind them and move toward the criminal mastermind all without a single sound being heard by another of the White Fang grunts. When the figure neared her target, she pressed her katana that seemed to be sharpened to a razor's edge against the criminal mastermind's throat.

"What the!? Of for fuc-" Roman barely got out causing Wilma and her comrades to turn their heads and find their disliked ally being held hostage causing the stout Faunus to aim her rifle at the figure which was mirrored by some of her other cohorts while others like Ashanti brandished their swords and pointed them at the figure.

"Nobody move!" the sneaky figured ordered authoritatively as the figure who happened to be a black haired girl wearing a bow pressed her blade against the criminal mastermind's neck harder when some of the goons tried to move in causing him to gag slightly.

"Whoa, take it easy there little lady," bowler hat guy said in a sickly-sweet tone as Wilma calmed her breathing down and thought about shooting the sword out of the girl's hand, but doubted she had the skill for such a thing and opted to just wait for her chance to strike.

She honestly could care less if the man lived or died, but Adam needed this fool for whatever dust forsaken reason so although it pained her and probably most of her cohorts, they had to rescue him. To their surprise, the girl holding the White Fang's disliked ally hostage reached up and tore off her bow revealing cat ears for all to see causing Wilma and Ashanti to briefly exchange glances with one another while more experienced soldiers trembled at the sight and widened their eyes in shock.

"The ghost of the White Fang…" one soldier breathed out as he barely managed to keep his grip on his sword.

"The apex predator…" another goon trailed off in awe as her hands shook uncontrollably which nearly made her lose her grip on her rifle, but managed to keep it steady.

Wilma and Ashanti raised their brows when hearing these nicknames for this mysterious Faunus, but if memory served right she recalled some people back at base talking about one of Adam's top lieutenants who abandoned their cause after some train robbery when she had first joined up. She, like many other soldiers who had recently joined up, thought the girl was just a myth to justify some of Adam's more…questionable actions, but that notion proved false when the ghost stood right in front of her holding bowler hat hostage.

"Brothers and sisters of the White Fang, why are aiding this scum!?" the apex predator asked her former comrades-in-arms with a sad, disappointed look and despite being a traitor, all of the goons diverted their gaze away from the ghost and stared at each other or their weapons.

"Oh kid, didn't you get the memo?" bowler hat asked the ghost smugly causing the black haired girl to glare at him and press the blade harder against his neck when one of the grunts attempted to make a move to save him.

"What are you talking about?" the ghost demanded as she did a shifted her gaze from each goon to make sure they didn't try anything while the criminal mastermind just laughed with a smirk on his face.

"The White Fang and I are going in on a little joint business venture together so to speak," bowler hat calmly responded while gripping his cane and subtly inched his thumb closer to the trigger which went unnoticed by the ghost.

"Tell me what it is or I'll put an end to your little operation," the ghost threatened bowler hat as she used her other free hand to point the sheath of her weapon that seemed to double as a cleaver at Ashanti when she tried to move in.

Fortunately for Roman, the bullheads that were delayed because of the weather arrived causing a fierce updraft of wind that caused some of the goons to shield their eyes with their forearm as small amounts of gravel got into their eyes despite wearing masks. The ghost saw the bullheads with widened eyes and taking advantage of her breach in focus, Roman positioned his cane near the apex predator's feet and fired an explosive burst of dust. The explosion caused Blake to let out a surprised, pained gasp as she brutally tumbled across the ground like someone falling out of a car at high speeds before she finally came to a stop on her belly where she groaned in pain and gripped her head.

Seizing their newfound advantage, all of the bullhead pilots opened fire on Blake who was still trying to clear the cobwebs in her head, but through her blurry vision saw the hailstorm of bullets headed her way. Blake raised her shaky arms and sloppily deflected some of the bullets with gambol shroud, but the projectiles proved too numerous for her to deflect them all even if she were at peak strength and hissed as some of the bullets smashed into her chest like a runaway train. Luckily her aura absorbed most of the damage and using her the pointy edge of her pistol, threw it with all her might behind a cargo container and pulled herself toward it while hastily parrying any other bullets headed her way with gambol shroud's sheath.

"Sorry kitty cat, it's not that easy," Roman said with a sadistic smirk on his face as he took careful aim at Blake's retreating form and when he judged where she was going to be, fired a red, explosive burst of dust…only for a sudden kick to his wrist to throw his aim off and accidentally caused the projectile to hurtle towards the White Fang goons.

"Everyone down!" Wilma ordered even though she had no such authority to do so, but no one seemed to complain as they all rolled to the side or sprawled to the ground to avoid the volatile projectile as it whizzed by the goons and impacted the bottom of one of the bullheads.

The aircraft itself remained unharmed by such an attack, but the same couldn't be said of the mini-gun positioned underneath it as it let out a few more spurts before going still which left two more bullheads laying down suppressive fire on Blake. Roman, unconcerned with Blake at the moment seeing as how she was pinned down, focused his attention on her suddenly ally who easily tossed and kicked aside any grunts attempting to attack him while the criminal mastermind shook his head at this.

"You're not the brightest banana in the bunch," Roman remarked with a slight grin as the bullheads opened the passenger area and let their soldiers come down to assist the criminal mastermind leaving Blake's ally vastly outnumbered.

Like an angry mob, the goons surged forward without any sort of strategy besides hoping to overwhelm the ghost's ally through sheer numbers while some like Wilma hung back and fired her weapon at the monkey king which made them easy pickings for Blake's friend as he smirked and pulled out…an intricate stick to Wilma's surprise. The boy easily parried the storm of bullets headed his way into any unfortunate goons running towards him causing them to cry out and land on their backside while the first goon that managed to get near him attacked with his sword in an overhand motion only for Blake's friend to easily dip to the side and hit the goon with the back of his fist. The goon let out a yelp and hit the ground face first as Blake's ally thrusting his foot to the side just as another soldier neared him sending the soldier crashing to the ground with a brutal thud while Wilma and some of the other soldiers continued to lay down cover fire.

However, the martial artist continued to bat the deadly projectiles into any of the White Fang soldiers still trying to engage him in hand to hand combat with the utmost ease and seeing upon running out of ammo, the stout White Fang soldier abandoned her rifle even though she had more ammo for it. Determinedly, Wilma lowered her head attempted to ram Blake's ally with her antlers, but he simultaneously jumped over her while positioning his staff in between her antlers. Letting out a surprised gasp, Wilma felt herself falling backwards at a rapid pace and harshly hit the back of her head against the concrete with a bone crunching thud causing her to see stars only to feel a foot impact her ribs as if she were a ball sending her flying in the other direction.

Unintentionally, Wilma took out some of her allies when her large frame crashed into a group of White Fang goons rushing toward the monkey boy like a missile causing all of them to hit the ground hard causing collective groans to escape their lips. Wilma clenched her teeth rolled off of her comrades as she put a hand on her head and saw Ashanti simultaneously whacked in her thigh with the staff causing her to lurch forward only to be brutally slugged with a heavy hand that connected with her mask. The force of the blow not only caused Ashanti's head to snap back, but her mask shattered into a million pieces as Wilma's partner violently twisted to the side from the strike and landed on her arm with the full weight of her body pressing down onto the limb.

Seeing Ashanti lying on the ground with her legs curled up near her chest while grabbing her face with her one good arm as shattered pieces of her White Fang mask lay around her caused Wilma to gnash her teeth together and aggressively grab her rifle and sword. Seeing more of her comrades being effortlessly swatted away by the monkey boy as he maneuvered through the battle as if he were water, Wilma took careful aim just like she had been taught.

Just as she thought she had the perfect shot on him, a black blade cut through her rifle as if it were just butter and knowing better than to just gawk, Wilma rolled backwards and took out her sword just as Blake attempted to bring her blade down on the crown of Wilma's skull. Letting out a war cry, Wilma charged forward with her blade raised high above her head and slashed down onto Blake's shoulder only to cut through a copy that took the hit for the ghost.

Wilma didn't even get the chance to widen her eyes in shock as she suddenly felt the cold steel of Blake's blade slice down her back as if she was being hacked in two causing the Faunus to let out an agonizing wail and collapse onto her belly. She was glad her aura took most of the damage, but the strike was still going to leave a sizable bruise. Gritting her teeth, Wilma looked up and saw the ghost was already engaging Roman in combat along with her ally and thought she should help the criminal mastermind fend them off, but remembered how easily she was defeated by either of them. Wilma instead decided to tend to her wounded allies and seeing that her friend was closest to her, hurriedly moved over to Ashanti and put one hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Ashanti, grasp my hand if you can hear me! I'm going to move you, okay?" Wilma worriedly informed her friend as she put one of her hands underneath Ashanti's armpit while she held her friend's hand in the other and feeling her friend tighten her grip on her hand, Wilma slowly moved her friend behind one of the cargo containers.

"Stay here, Ashanti…ow…I'm going to get the others," Wilma muttered as she grimaced when the bruise on her back started acting up, but with the thought of helping her injured comrades going through her head, the reindeer Faunus ignored the pain.

Rushing out into the open once again, she saw that just like the first bullhead, all the other mini-guns were somehow disabled by Blake which made Wilma realize why they weren't shooting at Blake anymore. Seeing a discarded rifle on the ground, Wilma picked it up and fired in the general direction of Roman's opponents which proved to be nothing but a nuisance to them as they both easily deflected the bullets, but it gave the criminal mastermind the opening he needed to kick Sun in the chest and stagger him. Seeing her disliked ally regain the advantage, Wilma set to work moving more of her injured comrades to where Ashanti was while firing off the occasional burst of bullets from her gun to provide a distraction only when it seemed whether Blake or Sun was about to tip the balance of power into their favor.

"Hey!" a loud, angry voice echoed throughout the area causing everyone to briefly turn their heads in the direction of the voice before refocusing on what they were doing.

Wilma, taking advantage of this, simultaneously propped another one of her cohorts against a cargo container while firing another burst from her rifle at Blake and Sun forcing them to deflect the projectiles which gave the criminal mastermind the opening he needed.

"Oh hello, Red! Isn't it past your bedtime?" Roman mockingly asked the newcomer as he swung his cane like a baseball bat at Blake's head causing the cat Faunus to cry out and hit the ground while kicking Sun in the chest to gain some distance and fired at the cable carrying a cargo container.

Sun gasped and grabbed Blake just in time as the large container hit the ground with an earth shaking thud sending chunks of debris everywhere while Sun protectively clutched Blake in his arms as they continued to roll uncontrollably. They eventually came to a stop with the cat Faunus lying on top of him and Sun would have taken this chance to take a breath of air only to find Roman's cane pointed directly at his face and from this distance, the monkey king doubted his aura could protect him from the damage.

Luckily, a sniper round slammed into Roman's elbow causing the criminal mastermind to cry out and glare at the offender and fired off a volatile burst of dust at the girl who was too stunned to get out of the way. Wilma narrowed her eyes at Roman for firing at a child, even if it was a human and a huntress in training, but her gaze suddenly turned skyward as two of the bullheads carrying large containers of dust crashed to the ground. The large aircrafts skidded forward at a high speed causing Wilma to grab another one of her comrades and run behind a cargo container just as the runaway bullheads and containers slammed into a warehouse next to her causing Wilma to look up and found an orange haired girl with freckles glaring at Roman and whatever remained of the White Fang soldiers.

"Don't worry Ruby, I'm combat ready!" Wilma heard the other newcomer determinedly shout as she split her multitude of swords that she seemingly summoned from her back into groups of two while Red, having recovered from the attack, stood beside the freckled girl with a glare directed towards Roman and the goons while taking out a large, red block of metal.

Raising a brow, Wilma and her cohorts wondered what Red was planning on doing until the block of metal unfurled into menacing hooked blade that easily stood taller than the wielder itself causing all of the White Fang soldiers to tilt their heads or trying to keep their eyes bulging out of their sockets when seeing such a weapon.

"This does not bode well," the indignant White Fang goon analyzed matter-of-factly as a sword crashed into her along with any of her other comrades still standing after the skirmish with Sun and Blake while strong, heavy slashes and sniper rounds from Red forcefully crashed into any unfortunate goon attempting to fight them.

Wilma, seeing the two newcomers hacking and slashing through her cohorts like a whirlwind of destruction, focused her attention on the downed cargo containers as she got of all of her comrades out of harm's way and saw that one was open ajar causing her to grip the bent edge of the door blocking her way to the dust. Wilma tried to pry it open only to have to stop when her hands started to hurt as another set of hands grasped the door as well.

"Need some help?" Ashanti tiredly asked her friend as without the mask, Wilma could see cuts marring her friend's face, but was glad to see that her friend was back on her feet again nevertheless.

"Yeah, help me get this door open!" Wilma shouted causing Ashanti to nod and on three, the two friends pulled on the bent door with all their might and managed to tear the door off revealing the plethora of dust within.

Without having to say anything, the two White Fang goons grabbed as much dust as their arms could carry where they were joined by their original group comrades who decided to not fight against the two newcomers and instead took the dust from the cargo container and ran to a bullhead that landed near them when it noticed what they were doing. Running as fast as her legs could carry her, Wilma noticed two other bullheads arrive at the port where they fired at the two newcomers with the orange haired girl protectively stepping in front of the scythe wielder and deflected all the bullets hurtling toward them with the utmost ease.

Wilma's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets when the orange haired girl deflected another volley and aligning her swords in a circle, fired a devastating beam of green energy that sliced through the two bullheads with surgeon like precision causing the occupants to land on the ground below while the destroyed aircrafts crashed into ocean. The stout Faunus picked up her pace upon seeing this as she didn't want to be the victim of the powerful orange haired girl or the scythe wielder and got to the bullhead just as her other comrades did so as well.

"Load the dust up and let's go home!" the pilot ordered the goons who didn't have to be told twice and hurriedly crammed the large amounts of dust into the passenger area and climbed in just to see the orange haired girl brought down another bullhead with a mere wave of her hand.

Feeling the aircraft lift into the air, Wilma spared one last look downward to find the ghost, her ally, Red, and her powerful friend barely managing to glance at them after finishing off the rest of the White Fang soldiers only for the aircraft to speed away just as the police arrived on the scene. Seeing that her view below was now just the waves of the ocean, Wilma and many of her other comrades took this opportunity to let out relieved sighs as they slumped down on to the floor of the aircraft.

"Woo, you guys grew your fangs today! I didn't expect to see Adam's girl or huntsman in training, but we managed to snag a whole containers worth of dust so in my book that's mission accomplished!" the pilot cheerfully shouted to the soldiers tiredly leaning against the wall in an effort to lift their spirits up causing some goons to snort and turn their heads away from the pilot while others like Wilma tiredly smiled at the praise.

"Scoot over," Ashanti softly told her friend causing the reindeer Faunus to groan and move over a little bit as her friend slowly sat down next to her and removed her broken helmet.

Glancing at her friend, Wilma saw one cut in particular that stretched from the bridge of Ashanti's nose all the way up to her friend's white hair with streaks of black running across it. Doing one last scan of her friend, the reindeer Faunus saw Ashanti gripping her leg causing Wilma to note that she had to take her friend to the doctor even if her friend wanted to "walk it off."

"What about our guys back at the docks?" Wilma suddenly shouted to the pilot as she remembered some of her allies not make it to the bullheads while the pilot sighed deeply and shook his head.

"Sorry kid, but they're on their own. They'll just have to find a way to escape and hopefully get back to base in time before we decide to move," the pilot reluctantly informed Wilma who shook her head slowly upon hearing and buried her face in her hands while Ashanti put her good hand on Wilma's shoulder to comfort her distraught friend.

Letting out a soft sigh, Wilma thanked her friend and leaned back against the cold steel of the bullhead which caused her bruise to act up causing her to wince, but after turning her body she managed to find a somewhat comfortable position and closed her eyes for much needed rest. Following her lead, Ashanti put a hand on her face to lessen some of the pain the cuts were causing and leaned her head to the side while the rest of the soldiers just sat in awkward silence with one another with the only sounds that could be heard were the inner mechanisms of the bullhead keeping the aircraft afloat.


	2. Chapter 2 Preparations

Ch.2

Preparations

 _RWBY is the property of its respective owners_

"Hey, get up; were almost at the base," a soft voice told the reindeer Faunus while gently shaking her shoulder causing Wilma to sluggishly open her eyes and found the indignant White Fang soldier kneeling down next to her and extending her hand to Wilma.

Grasping her comrade's hand into her own, Wilma felt her cohort try to pull her to her feet, but the weight difference between them nearly pulled her comrade down. However, the indignant White Fang goon stabilized herself and yanked the reindeer Faunus to her feet while Wilma turned to Ashanti and lightly nudged her friend in the leg with her foot. Wilma's friend grumbled irritably and tiredly glared at her friend, but nevertheless stretched a little bit while still lying on the ground.

"Thanks…uh…" Wilma awkwardly trailed off while rubbing the back of her head causing her nameless cohort to laugh softly and pat Wilma on the shoulder.

"Lacey," the indignant White Fang soldier finished with a small grin on her face which caused Wilma in turn to smile at her comrade's friendliness and made some room for her as Ashanti yawned loudly and slowly got to her feet.

Seeing her friend up, Wilma and her comrades stared down at the desolate, ruined city below through the window with some groups of beowolves menacingly trekking across the dead landscape with black mist wafting off of them as if they were empowered by the fires of Hell itself.

"I'll never get used to seeing this," Ashanti said solemnly in a tone barely above a whisper causing Wilma to sigh deeply and slowly nod her head while Lacey folded her arms and stoically looked down at the destroyed city below the aircraft.

"I know what you mean; this place gives me the creeps," Wilma replied as she involuntarily shuddered at the thought at what happened to the poor souls who use to live underground until she felt the bullhead suddenly stop and slowly descend to the ground.

"I'm not too fond of this place either kid, but this is the last place the huntsman would ever think to look for us so we'll just have to put up with it," the pilot suddenly threw his two cents in on the matter causing the stout Faunus to look at the back of the head of the pilot before shaking her head.

Wilma and her comrades were relieved when the ruined city finally became out of view and was instead replaced with the confines of the White Fang base with a plethora of soldiers doing their daily rounds while cooks happily served freshly cooked meals to their weary comrades.

"Oh man, what I wouldn't give for a hot meal right about now," the laid back White Fang soldier said to no one in particular as he walked up to some crates of dust and slowly picked them up with his cohorts mirroring this action.

"Yeah, I'll take those over the shitty field rations any day," the unsavory White Fang grunt agreed causing Ashanti to scoff and slowly kneel down to gently pick up a slightly broke crates of dust and eyed her comrade curiously.

"The field rations Atlas gives its soldiers? Those things are fucking good and it pisses me off that were stuck eating trash while doing missions," the unsavory White Fang soldier continued with a sour expression on his face while Wilma and Lacey did their best to ignore him.

"How would you know that, smart guy?" Ashanti interrogated her cohort with a slight growl while he just gave her a cruel grin and balanced his crates of dust into one arm while shaping his free hand into a pistol.

"I was on a team with some guys and we attacked a convoy from Vale trying to supply a base of soldiers near Mantle. I almost pitied the poor saps; they were just stupid kids fresh outta college trying to help the tinmen before we filled their heads with bullets," the unsavory White Fang soldier retorted with the harsh grin never leaving his face as he mimicked shooting an imaginary prisoner execution style and upon hearing this, Wilma tightly gripped the crates of dust she was carrying while clenching her teeth so tightly that they one might think they would break.

"That's messed up man," the laid back White Fang soldier disdainfully informed his comrade which was a sentiment shared by Ashanti and Lacey as they both glared at their now disliked comrade who shrugged nonchalantly.

"Doesn't matter what you guys think of me; I'm being transferred back to the manual labor unit after this so you'll probably never see me again," the unsavory White Fang soldier responded causing Ashanti's glower to deepen as the doors to the bullhead suddenly opened and the ramp to clang to the ground with a thud.

"Alright kids, just drop the dust off at the supply depot and I hope to get missions with you guys again save for one sick man," the pilot informed the low-level grunts who slightly smiled at the praise while the unsavory White Fang soldier just scoffed and shouldered his way past the goons nearly causing Wilma to drop the crates of dust she was carrying.

"What a nice guy; no wonder he has so many friends," Lacey remarked causing her comrades to chuckle quietly as they made their way to the supply depot with the crates of dust in hand.

Despite Wilma's bruise acting up and the cuts on Ashanti's face making it nearly impossible to see straight, they managed to get to the supply depot without incident and saw a tall man with thick sideburns pat a White Fang soldier on the shoulder before turning to them.

"Yeesh, you guys have a run in with an Ursa Major?" the commander asked the grunts with his head tilted to the side while Ashanti and the other just groaned miserably when thinking back to the fight at the docks and shook their heads.

"Considering what happened, I think we all would have rather faced an Ursa Major, Commander Tukson," Wilma pointed out causing the cougar Faunus to lift his mask up and raise a brow before shrugging and gesturing where to put the crates of dust at which the White Fang grunts did so and stood at attention when they finished.

"Good work; you're dismissed," Tukson informed the soldiers who saluted him and walked away in an orderly fashion while Wilma spared a brief glance at the higher up over her shoulder and found Tukson shaking his head with a pencil and clipboard in hand while staring at the crates of dust intently.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to get some grub," the laid back White Fang goon stated as he lightly jogged to the cafeteria and despite Ashanti walking over to join him, she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder stop her causing her to turn her head and found Wilma staring at her concernedly.

"I'll leave you two alone; I'll see you guys at the infirmary," Lacey respectfully bid farewell to her comrades who waved goodbye to her as she walked to the infirmary with a slight limp leaving the reindeer Faunus and her friend alone with each other besides the thousands of soldiers walking around the base who just ignored them.

"Ashanti, please just go to the infirmary so the doctors can look you over," Wilma pleaded with her friend who snorted and lightly pushed her friend's hand off of her shoulder and put her good hand on her hip.

"Wilma, I'll just walk-" Wilma's friend began dismissively, but shut her mouth when the reindeer Faunus held her hand up and narrowed her eyes at her shorter friend.

"Only stupid people who're trying to act tough say that, Ashanti," Wilma curtly interrupted her friend who narrowed her eyes at Wilma who didn't back down in the slightest and after a moment, Ashanti just sighed in defeat and began making her way to the medical bay.

The two friends then just walked in silence to the infirmary with some other soldiers briefly making eye contact with them or whispering to each other about the wounds the duo had sustained, but Wilma and Ashanti paid it no mind. When they reached the infirmary, they saw most of the doctors preoccupied with some other goons so the duo just took a seat on some empty hospital beds while waiting for their chance to be looked over.

Mindlessly, the two friends thumb-wrestled with each other to pass the time with Ashanti winning some due to greater strength while Wilma won some due to greater positioning and just when they were about to go another round, a loud cough in front of them caused them to stop their game. Looking in the direction the cough came from they saw a short, wiry White Fang doctor with a bushy mustache staring at them quizzically causing them to sit up at attention.

"Ahoy hoy, ladies; which one of you do I help first?" the doctor asked of them causing Wilma to point at her friend which Ashanti initially wanted to disagree with, but gave in after noting how severe her wounds were compared to Wilma's.

"Very well; don't worry, I'll check over you and then I'll look over your friend so you have nothing to worry about," the doctor warmly assured her causing Ashanti to crack a small grin upon hearing this and laid back in her chair as the doctor went to work patching her up by first applying disinfectant to the cuts on Ashanti's face.

Wilma's friend hissed with each application of disinfectant and gripped the rail of the hospital bed as the doctor finished up and began attaching little white bandage strips to the various cuts marring Ashanti's face.

"Taking it like a champ, eh? Tell me something my dear; are you some sort of equine Faunus?" the doctor asked of her politely and when Ashanti raised a brow at the question and Wilma narrowed her eyes at him, the medical practitioner averted his gaze and went back to fixing his patient up.

"I'm a Zebra Faunus actually so you're sort of right," Ashanti answered causing the doctor to nod and went about wrapping Ashanti's heavily bruised arm with gauze while the Zebra Faunus pulled one of her pants legs up to reveal a nasty bruise on her thigh courtesy of Blake's staff wielding friend.

"My word, it seems nowadays our members are getting injured more and more frequently thanks to whoever this benefactor is making ridiculous demands!" the doctor exclaimed indignantly as he tenderly began applying some ice on Ashanti's bruise before wrapping it up with gauze and when he finished, he got a jar of lollipops from his work area and extended his jaw of sweets to the Zebra Faunus.

Chuckling, Ashanti reached her hand out and picked any random treat that she managed to get her grip on before lying back down on the bed as the doctor went over to Wilma to examine her. The stout Faunus turned her back and pointed to the bruise on her back causing the doctor to wince and shake his head as he applied ice for a little bit before placing some gauze on Wilma's wound and putting a hand on her chin.

"Your eyes don't look right," the doctor pointed out as he suddenly grabbed a tool resembling a tiny flashlight and shined a light in Wilma's eye causing the heavyset Faunus to wince a little, but kept her eyes open to the best of her ability despite the glaring light in her eyes.

"As I thought, you have a concussion," the doctor noted as he began wrapping some gauze around Wilma's head while the reindeer Faunus thought back to the battle at the docks and loathed how she was just tossed aside so easily like she was an ant going up against a tank.

"Will I still be able to go on missions?" Wilma asked frantically causing the doctor to laugh and lightly pat her on the shoulder which caused some of Wilma's concern to die down.

"Of course, my dear; you and your friend need just a minimum of eight hours of rest and you'll be back doing whatever it is you do in no time," the medical practitioner assured the rank and file soldier who sighed in relief as the doctor held out his jar of lollipops to her causing Wilma to roll her eyes, but reached into the jar and pulled out a chocolate flavored one and lay back down on the bed.

"Sorry doc, but we need all the hands we can get to clear those rocks blocking the rails," a voice suddenly cut in causing Wilma, Ashanti, and the medical practitioner to turn their head and found a large, intimidating White Fang soldier wielding a massive chainsaw striding towards them.

"This is absurd! I cannot in good conscience clear these two for active duty until they're properly rested!" the doctor vehemently shouted at the White Fang commando who hadn't moved a single muscle during the medical practitioner's rant and shook his head slowly.

"Fine, these two get eight hours and not a second longer; you, you, and you!" the commando shouted over to Lacey and any other White Fang soldiers he deemed healthy enough while the grunts jolted at the tone of his voice and sat up at attention.

"Get over to stations A, B, and C and help clear the rails for the subway trains; stay sharp, there's still some Grimm left even after Mountain Glenn fell!" the commando ordered them causing them to salute and began limping or hobbling over to the transports that would take them to the stations.

"See you guys at the stations," Lacey told the duo with a two finger salute causing Wilma and Ashanti to return the gesture as the mustachioed doctor huffed and went around examining other soldiers that came in while the two friends just lay next to each other in silence for a moment before the Zebra Faunus broke that silence.

"Just think about it Wilma; someday we'll be commandos leading the charge to change Faunus lives everywhere!" Ashanti imagined with a wide grin on her face causing the reindeer Faunus to imagine that scenario as well and broke out into a smile too as the prospect of being seen as a hero by her brethren wasn't so bad.

"That does sound pretty good; I…I want to tell my children if I decide to have any that mommy fought long and hard so you guys can live a great life free of hate and discrimination," Wilma replied with a soft grin on her face as she imagined the scenario in her head while her friend nodded knowingly and thought about that scenario as well.

"I'll drink to that!" a White Fang goon from across the room exclaimed as he grabbed his glass of water and gurgled down some water before raising his hand in the air while his comrades in the beds next to them rolled their eyes while Wilma and Ashanti chuckled softly before closing their eyes for some sleep.

 _Hours later_

"You two better get on your feet, now!" a gruff voice ordered Wilma and Ashanti as a hand firmly shook the reindeer Faunus's shoulder causing Wilma to tiredly open her eyes and found the same commando from last time staring at her expectantly causing her to hurriedly get out of bed and stand at attention.

Ashanti quickly followed suit and stood at attention as the commando seemingly scanned the duo for any weaknesses before lightly gripping the handle of his chainsaw.

"Get some gas masks and sledgehammers from the supply depot and then head over to the transport area to get to station A," the commando demanded causing Wilma and Ashanti to salute and walk off to fulfill their orders while noting that most of the lights on the base were now shut off with only a necessary few still on to allow the troops to see.

"Oh man, everyone else gets to sleep while we have to pound some rocks?" Ashanti complained in a quiet tone so as not to wake any of her sleeping comrades while Wilma yawned and put a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"I want to go back to sleep as much as you do, but we have to clear the debris blocking the rails first," Wilma informed her friend in a low tone of voice while Ashanti threw her arms up dramatically before letting them fall to her sides which the reindeer Faunus ignored as she thought back to the commander's reaction after their mission.

"Tukson didn't look so happy after we brought the dust back," Wilma recalled as they passed by some fellow soldiers doing their patrols of the base and respectfully saluted them which the grunts returned while the Zebra Faunus put a hand on her hip.

"Well, the White Fang needed more than just one cargo container of dust so maybe he's just worried that whatever our plan is might take longer than expected," Ashanti theorized causing Wilma to raise a brow at her friend who looked back at her with her arms folded.

"Do you really believe that?" Wilma asked causing the Zebra Faunus to shake her head immediately causing the reindeer Faunus to sigh and put a hand on her chin as she thought long and hard about what Tukson looked so worried about.

"Heads up," Ashanti warned while thumping her friend's shoulder causing Wilma to glance at Ashanti and found the Zebra Faunus gesturing with her head in front of her and widened her eyes in shock briefly before standing at attention.

The leader of the White Fang, at least the one stationed in Vale, went by many nicknames; the Crimson Scourge, the Slayer of Atlas. Unfortunately, Wilma had this sinking feeling that their leader thoroughly enjoyed the last nickname the general populace knew him by; Humanity's Bane.

"Sir, how-" Wilma began courteously, but seeing the Crimson Scourge aggressively grip the hilt of his sword and glaring at her ferociously as if he wanted to strike her down with unbridled rage quickly silenced the low-level grunt.

"I didn't order you to speak, soldier. You guys were at the docks when you fought the ghost, right?" Adam pressed curtly causing Wilma and Ashanti to spare glances at each other before nodding at what their leader said and while Wilma noted he balled his hands into a fist upon hearing this.

"Did she say anything?" Adam questioned the two of them tersely and this time Ashanti decided to speak up for both of them which Wilma was more than happy with.

"She called us her brothers and sisters and wondered why we were working with a human criminal, sir," the Zebra Faunus answered him and noted that their leader's clothes took on a very brief shade of bloody crimson before going back to normal as Adam muttered something that sounded like "traitorous bitch" under his breathe.

"That's all; leave me," Adam bluntly demanded causing Wilma and Ashanti to salute their leader who didn't even nod in acknowledgement and sauntered off while the two friends glanced at each other after that exchange and rolled their eyes at the icon's behavior.

Getting to the supply depot, Wilma saw Commander Tukson with his face deep in contemplation while some grunts helped pass out equipment to their brothers and sisters in arms while giving them words of encouragement to keep morale up.

"Commander, we were ordered to get some gas masks and sledgehammers to help clear out the debris in station A," Wilma informed her commanding officer politely and upon hearing this, Tukson's eyes widened briefly before he growled under his breath and ordered one of his soldiers to go fetch the equipment.

"Watch yourselves out there; for some reason, the Grimm attack station A more frequently than any other station and at night, all the Grimm for some dust forsaken reason go into some sort of berserker mode," Tukson cautioned the duo as he handed them gas masks and sledgehammers causing Wilma to nod gratefully while informing Tukson that she would be careful while Ashanti gave the commander a two finger salute which he returned as the duo made their way to a transport ship.

"That's what I like about him; he lets us be ourselves," Wilma muttered which was something her friend agreed with as the officers and leaders within the White Fang weren't exactly the most open minded to things like creativity and independence.

"Yeah, and please pardon my language, but every other officer here seems to have a stick jammed up their ass," Ashanti agreed with her causing Wilma to mull over what her friend said and opened her mouth to retort, but no statement came to mind causing the reindeer Faunus to shut her mouth.

Boarding the bullhead that would take them to station A along with other White Fang goons she didn't recognize, Wilma put the head of her sledgehammer near her feet and mindlessly twirled it in place while Ashanti put the tool over her shoulder and leaned on the wall next to her friend.

"I can't believe we're working so late; I mean, didja guys about the guys who were torn apart in Station C?" a White Fang goon asked frantically causing some of her cohorts to raise their brows at this while Wilma subtly leaned in to hear more while Ashanti tried to tune it out.

"No, what happened? Some beowolves got them?" another soldier inquired causing the frantic White Fang soldier to shake her head causing Wilma to stare down at the head of her sledgehammer; if not beowolves, then what apparently eviscerated her fellow soldiers?

"That's the scary part; my friend just told me that there was this loud…loud roar then suddenly a few guys were pulled into whatever holes that haven't been sealed up yet," the frantic White Fang goon responded with a shudder causing some rank and file soldiers to make a disgusted face and think about what happened to them, but decided against it.

"Then what happened?" Wilma suddenly questioned her comrade causing Ashanti to lightly elbow her in the ribs, but the heavyset Faunus wouldn't be deterred as her cohort looked between the soldiers who were listening to her and the reindeer Faunus who wanted to learn more about the incident.

"Next thing you know, there's this whole swarm a' Grimm popping out of the holes like ants in a hill. My friend said he saw a guy get knocked down by a group of Boarbatusks and then they just started ripping him apart like he was a meal at a buffet," the frantic White Fang goon explained causing Wilma to grip her tool tighter and unconsciously pull it closer to her while Ashanti gritted her teeth and scowled at this information.

"Shit, did some other guys beside your friend get away?" another White Fang goon inquired with her tone being in a mix of awe and terror and before the frantic White Fang soldier could continue with her tale, the aircraft rocked to the side which knocked some of the soldiers off of their feet while Wilma was taken aback as Ashanti's head landed in her lap.

"I don't want to hear anymore stupid shit from any of you kids! The White Fang is closer than ever to achieving its goal and I will not set this organization back because you worthless maggots are worried about getting some booboos!" the pilot furiously shouted that caused Wilma and the other soldiers to cover their ears as the pilot rocked the bullhead to the other side to emphasize his point which caused Wilma to collide with her friend where they both hit their heads against the wall of the bullhead.

The other soldiers screamed in surprise as they tumbled to the other side of the aircraft and moaned in pain as they slowly picked themselves while stretching their limbs while the pilot laughed and roughly set down the bullhead. This time, Wilma managed to grab the railing next to her which prevented her from being lifted off of her feet while pressing down onto Ashanti's shoulder to keep her from flying upwards with her free hand as the Zebra Faunus was still reeling from the previous blow. Seeing the passenger door open, Wilma got up onto shaky feet while offering her hand to her friend who shook her head and got up on her own while gripping her head while the rest of the soldiers shot the pilot angry glares.

"Alright, you slackers, get your asses out of my bullhead and start actually contributing to our cause for once in your pathetic lives!" the pilot barked at the goons who grumbled incomprehensible swears under their breathe and stepped out of the aircraft while Wilma slowly walked out while hearing the loud banging and crushing sounds of rocks being reduced to a million tiny pieces.

"How long do you think they're going to make us work for?" the Zebra Faunus suddenly asked her friend as one of the White Fang soldiers on guard duty pointed to a group of two other soldiers causing them to nod and head over.

"Eight hours, maybe six," the reindeer Faunus estimated causing Ashanti to groan as the Zebra Faunus lifted the sledgehammer overhand without any sort of effort and forcefully brought it down onto a rather large boulder which caused a small crack in it.

"Oh joy; joy to the world," Ashanti irritably muttered as Wilma brought the sledgehammer up with similar ease, but had to put some effort to lift the tool up unlike Ashanti, and slammed it down onto the same boulder her friend was working on causing the crack to become larger.

Wilma noted that Ashanti was actually bigger than her, but unlike herself, Ashanti's mass was proportioned evenly giving her the perfect blend of bulk and muscle. Blushing, Wilma looked down at her rather large belly until she felt Ashanti punch her shoulder…hard.

"Wilma, stop that; I'm not letting you harm yourself again so you can fit some bullshit standard of beauty," Ashanti seethed in a mix of anger and concern as she ferociously brought the sledgehammer down onto the boulder once more causing some parts of the rock to split off while Wilma winced from the blow and rubbed her shoulder.

"I'm happy you're my friend, Ashanti," Wilma responded softly with a slight grin on her face as she slammed the head of the sledgehammer down onto the boulder which broke the rock into tinier chunks while the Zebra Faunus smiled at what her friend said.

"I feel the same way about you," Ashanti shot back with a warm, cocky grin as she brought the sledgehammer above her head and smashed it against the rock and just as Wilma was about to do the same, a large thud was heard overhead causing some dirt to sprinkle down onto the soldiers.

"What was that!? Wilma yelled nervously as hurriedly scanned left and right through the lenses of her gas mask as another thud resonated throughout the station causing the reindeer Faunus to move closer to her friend who mimicked this action.

"It sounded like an explosion!" another White Fang soldier voiced out as he raised his sledgehammer up and looked left and right to try to find the invisible threat while the soldiers guarding the workers looked up at the ceiling of the tunnel.

"Oh man, we have to get out of here!" the frantic White Fang solider shouted in fear as she bolted for in the opposite direction of the rails before a guard body blocked her and gently pushed her towards the goons doing manual labor.

"Everyone calm down; we're watching over you so you have nothing to worry about!" a White Fang goon on security attempted to ease the tension all the laborers were feeling at the moment and failed as the Faunus working on clearing the rocks stopped what they were doing and grouped up with any soldier close by them.

Beads of sweat poured down Wilma's forehead and onto the ground below as she gripped the handle of her sledgehammer so tightly that her hands turned white while scanning the floor, walls, and ceiling for threats as more booms and sprinkles of dirt fell down onto the goons. Ashanti similarly stood back to back with Wilma and surveyed the area for threats with her breath hitched and noticeably, the reindeer Faunus could feel her friend trembling uncontrollably.

Suddenly, the lights illuminating the tunnel went out causing collective gasps of terror to escape the laborers lips as the soldiers urged their brethren to calm down to the best of their ability as they turned on the flashlights on their rifles.

"I can't see a damn thing," Ashanti breathed out anxiously as she and Wilma inched their way towards the little slivers of light the soldier's flashlights were giving off while covering each other's blind spots.

"Command, this Sergeant Vickers requesting Evac at station A; the lights have gone out and we may have possible hostiles in the tunnels," the sergeant calmly pleaded for the higher ups while shining his flashlight up at the ceiling when a long, demonic snarl resonated throughout the tunnel causing some of the security guards to shudder, but kept their cool as they continued to cover the laborers retreat.

"Negative, Sergeant; if tangos are in the tunnels, Evac is a no go. Make your way on foot back to base," a commanding officer responded coolly and before the sergeant could argue against this, the commanding officer cut off the connection between their radios.

Cursing under his breathe, the Sergeant turned to his fellow soldiers before standing up as tall as he possibly could and gazed upon the Faunus making their way towards them.

"Alright, the higher-ups won't send help so we'll just have to help ourselves. I want the laborers in the middle and the security guards to form around them in a square formation," Sergeant Vickers commanded and no one objected to this as Wilma and the other laborers quickly congregated to the center while the soldiers formed around in a square while the sergeant led from the front.

"Why won't they send help? Aren't we worth anything!?" Wilma muttered in a mix of fury and terror as Ashanti put a hand on her shoulder causing the reindeer Faunus to grip it tightly before grasping her sledgehammer as the group of soldiers and laborers began to move out through the pitch black tunnel that was barely illuminated by the flashlight's of the security guards.

Unbeknownst to them, several demonic, malevolent red eyes shone through the darkness of the tunnel and hungrily eyed the rag-tag group of White Fang goons and like stealthy ninjas, began to slowly track their prey who were none the wiser to the impending threat.


	3. Chapter 3 No Way Out

Ch.3

No Way Out

 _RWBY is the property of its respective owners_

Night vision for the Faunus worked similarly to that of night vision goggles; wherever there was existing light, even in the dark, their eyes would capture it and amplify it so it could grant the Faunus excellent vision even in the blackness of the night. It was why General Lagune failed on the day that branded him an idiot for all time, but the situation Wilma and her cohorts were in may have made the failed general smile in his grave. Near perfect night vision or not, Wilma and the rest of her comrades were grateful that they had the light of the flashlights to follow as they continued to cautiously walk down the corridor with their sledgehammers raised in the air.

While they could easily see in all directions relatively well, there were still some spots that they couldn't see in as the patter of what sounded like erratic footsteps and the echoes that sounded like hungry snarls made some of the laborers quietly yelp and while some shook their heads vigorously before focusing on getting back to base.

"Tree in the forest…tree in the forest…tree in the forest," the frantic White Soldier stuttered as she tightly gripped her sledgehammer while keeping her gaze fixed on the ground while Wilma jolted every time she heard a footstep and a snarl.

"It's alright, everyone just keep it together and we'll make it back to base," Sergeant Vickers assured the soldiers and laborers he was leading back to base as another thunderous footstep that sounded like it was nearby caused the laborers to gasp as another one that sounded as if it was right next to the group caused Wilma's breath to hitch.

"Form up!" Sergeant Vickers ordered causing the soldiers to get down onto one knee while Wilma and Ashanti took that moment to stand back to back with each other as their teeth chattered and sweat slowly poured down their forehead fogging up the lenses of the gas mask.

"Anyone see anything?" the Sergeant inquired in a tone that was trying to sound calm, but everyone could hear the tone of trace amounts of fear in his voice while the soldiers weren't doing much better as their rifles shook slightly as they hurriedly scanned in every direction for hostiles.

"What's that!?" Wilma shrieked out while pointing at what she saw as red, piercing eyes from one of the dark spots her night vision couldn't illuminate glowered at her before slinking back into the blanket of darkness leaving her cohorts confused and terrified.

"What's what!? I don't see anything!" one soldier nervously shouted as he looked around for the threat his fellow White Fang soldier saw, but couldn't find it no matter how hard he looked just as another boom that sounded like it was mere inches from the group caused the soldiers to move inward to better protect the laborers while Wilma's breathing became frantic and couldn't get it back to normal.

"There, I see something!" Ashanti hollered as she pointed at the crimson eyes glaring at the group and this time when the soldiers trained their rifles on what the laborer saw, the demonic eyes didn't scamper back into hiding.

Before Vickers could give the order to shoot, several more demonic eyes illuminated the pitch black cave causing Wilma to get down onto one knee and put a hand on her forehead to try to regain a sense of calmness with her erratic breathing doing her no favors while Ashanti kneeled down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Do we shoot or not!?" one soldier barked at the Sergeant who internally debated on what the best course of action was, but that was a mistake as directly above the group another pair of red eyes looked at the group hungrily.

Without making a sound, the pair of red eyes slowly made its way down to the group and eyed its choice of prey hungrily and when it was within striking distance, it lashed out as quick as lightning and clamped its fangs down onto Wilma's head causing the reindeer Faunus to howl in pain. As quickly as she shouted, Wilma suddenly felt something roughly wrap around her neck causing her to gag violently while also feeling something heavy coil around her arms and pin them against her back all in one single motion. Out of the darkness, the red eyes glaring at the group suddenly surged forward with a blood curdling scream that shook all of them to the core.

With a determined scream, Sergeant Vickers and the rest of his guards opened fire in tandem against the horde of relentless monsters assaulting them while some of the laborers fought with them by using their sledgehammers as bludgeons. For some, their efforts were for naught as a dog sized Deathstalker clamped its pincer down on a soldier's legs to keep him in place and stabbed its stinger clean through the chest of the soldier causing the man to let out a weak gurgle before collapsing on his back while a group of Beowolves dog piled three of the soldiers who defiantly punched and fired their rifles to the bitter end regardless of the futility of the act.

Others, like Sergeant Vickers and some of his soldiers, held their own as the Sergeant used leverage to throw an Ursa Minor over his shoulder and slam it to the ground while shooting the Grimm through its eye while the rest of the soldiers first shot the Deathstalker's legs out before peppering its face with bullets and proceeded to do the same to the rest of the Grimm attacking them. Ashanti immediately sprang into action when she saw her friend being squeezed to death by whatever demon was attacking her while the frantic White Fang Soldier and two other laborers proceeded to assist the remaining soldiers.

"Let her go!" Ashanti screamed at the vile creature harming her friend as she quickly brought the sledgehammer up and smashed it down onto the scaly body of the monster crushing her friend causing it to give an inhuman wail in response which freed Wilma's arms allowing the reindeer Faunus to alleviate some of the pressure from her neck.

Ashanti suddenly screamed in pain as something sharp clamped down onto her forearm causing her to wince as she felt the sharp fangs dig into her flesh like knives, but luckily her aura absorbed the damage. However, the force behind the bite was more than enough to force the Zebra Faunus to release her sledgehammer. Ashanti yelped as she felt the creature lift her up slightly and harshly slam her against the wall causing Ashanti to see stars as the monster relentlessly tossed its head back and forth as if it wanted to tear the Zebra Faunus's arms out of its socket causing Wilma's friend to hiss and gnash her teeth.

Using her free hand, Ashanti let out a war cry and repeatedly struck the monster with heavy, stiff punches that elicited an inhuman cry from the demon with each successive strike. Wilma tightly shut her eyes and clenched her teeth in an attempt to block out the immense pressure around her neck and it was only thanks to her aura that she wasn't lying limp with her neck snapped backwards and upon feeling her hand brush up against the sledgehammer, firmly gripped the tool nearest to the top of the head.

Letting out another howl as the monster bite down on her forehead with more force, Wilma put one hand on one side of the monster's scaly head for stabilization while the other one was swung forward forcefully at the general direction of the monster's head. The monster let out a demonic scream as Wilma's attack caused sickening squelch and to her disgust, black pools of what she assumed to be the creature's blood poured down onto her uniform and to her relief, she didn't feel the pressure of sharp fangs threatening to pierce her skull. Setting aside her relief for now, Wilma quickly knelt down next to Ashanti and rearing her hand back, smashed the head of the sledgehammer into the monster's eye causing it to give an otherworldly wail as another gut wrenching cry escaped the creature as spurts of the demon's blood shot out of the creature's eye like a sprinkler before it collapsed in a heap.

"You okay?" Wilma worriedly asked her friend as the sounds of the raging battle continued to assault their eyes causing the Zebra Faunus to curtly nod and got back onto her feet as fast as she could while grasping her sledgehammer just to hear a soldier let out an ear piercing scream.

Turning their heads, they saw the soldier being brutally embraced by an Ursa Major causing a sickening crack of bones being crushed to echo throughout the cave while the repeated saturation fire from the soldiers rifle's and the hard, heavy hits from the laborer's sledgehammers did nothing to deter the creature of Grimm from its captured prey.

"Let him go!" Wilma shouted as she charged at the demon with her sledgehammer held overhead with Ashanti following suit with her own determined expression, but their heroic efforts would be for naught.

The Ursa Minor clamped its jaw over the White Fang soldier's skull and before the soldier could scream bloody murder, the Grimm's sharp, jagged fangs pierced through his skull like a knife through hot butter causing Wilma, Ashanti, and the other laborers to recoil in shock. The Ursa Minor then promptly threw its deceased meal at its enemies causing Wilma and Ashanti to roll out of the way, but some of the other laborers weren't as alert as the dead body crashed into them and sent them crashing to the ground. Wilma got back onto her feet just to see another soldier get speared to the ground by a Beowolf and without a shred of hesitation or mercy, tore into the woman in a mad frenzy with savage bites tearing into the woman's shoulder and neck while the claws on its feet brutally slashed her gut causing the woman to let out an agonizing wail that rattled the combatants.

Before the creature of Grimm could cause any further damage, a forceful strike to the skull caused the monster's head to explode into bits of black blood and gore before the rest of its body teetered on its feet for a little bit before crumpling to the cold, hard ground. However, Wilma's powerful strike turned out to be too strong as the momentum behind the attack caused the reindeer Faunus to uncontrollably stagger forwards and smash into the ground face first with her only means of defense sliding across the ground.

The Ursa Major, seeing vulnerable prey, barreled through whoever stood in its way as it effortlessly shrugged off simultaneous blows from sledgehammers in all directions and didn't even flinch when Sergeant Vickers and his remaining soldiers repeatedly blasted the demon's face with repeated fire with dust bullets that would make even a veteran huntsman think twice of standing in the way of it. Ashanti was the last line of defense between her friend and the beast and with a war cry reminiscent of the demon threatening her friend, surged forward…only for the Ursa Major to brutally bash the Zebra Faunus across the face with its long, sharp bones jutting out of its arms causing sickening crack to echo throughout the cave.

The last of Ashanti's aura absorbed the hit and had the force field not been there, Ashanti would have been impaled in a most gory fashion with the bones most likely skewering her through the cheeks and head. However lucky this may be, the blow still hurt immensely as her head violently snapped to the side causing her to spin uncontrollably and land on her shoulder at an awkward angle as she helplessly watched the Ursa Major charge toward her friend with an ever quickening pace while Wilma desperately crawled towards her improvised weapon.

Just as the demon was upon Wilma with its menacing claws outstretched and its jaws open showing its jagged, serrated teeth, Sergeant Vickers was in front of the downed reindeer Faunus and in a quick, single motion, simultaneously shoved the barrel of the gun into the monster's soft, unarmored mouth and squeezed down on the trigger. The Ursa Major's head burst apart like a watermelon being compressed by too many rubber bands and albeit briefly, the creature of Grimm felt around for its head before collapsing on its back with an earth shaking thud and dissolved into dust like many of its fallen brethren before it.

"It's alright kid; you're safe now," Sergeant Vickers gently informed the reindeer Faunus while extending his hand to her causing Wilma, who was violently trembling, to nod hesitantly and grasp his hand and felt herself being pulled to her feet while looking at the White Fang soldier who was eviscerated by the Beowolf.

Wilma cringed at the sight of the mauled White Fang soldier and gently set her bloody sledgehammer down as she tenderly embraced the White Fang grunt who was at death's door in her arms while Ashanti, who nursed her bruised jaw and shoulder for a bit, grasped the hand of a dying soldier and put it on her lap causing the soldier to give a grateful grin with his blood caked teeth.

"M-m…mom…i-is that you? I-I'm…still…y-your…l-little…girl," the woman breathed out weakly as she hugged Wilma tightly causing the reindeer Faunus to let tears stream down her face and firmly embraced her fellow soldier while crying into her shoulder while Sergeant Vickers held his head down and if one looked closely, could see little drops of water falling down near his his feet.

The woman's grip on Wilma slackened after a moment and the dying soldier went stiff causing Wilma to tightly shut her eyes and slowly put her dead comrade down as Ashanti wiped away tears with her forearm and put a consoling hand on her friend's shoulder. Ruefully shaking his head, Sergeant Vickers turned to look at whatever remained of the laborers and guards and saw that only six remained causing the Sergeant to tighten his grip on the handle of his rifle before letting out a soft sigh as he gazed at the deceased members of his unit.

"Of Dust we are created…" Sergeant Vickers started as he set the barrel of his rifle down on the ground and gripped the handle while keeping his finger off of the trigger as Wilma picked up her bloody sledgehammer and stood next to the Sergeant with her head down.

"And of Dust we shall return," Wilma finished with her eyes downcast as the leader of the group silently began walking down the cave ahead of the group causing the rest of the soldiers and laborers to follow suit.

The team moved out in a similar formation as last time with the laborers in the middle and whatever remained of the soldiers guarding them in a triangle formation with Sergeant Vickers out in front as nary a sound was given off by any members of the group. Wilma had a hand to her forehead and slowly exchanged glances between her uniform that was soaked in Grimm and Faunus blood and her hands that were similarly coated with the crimson liquid of life.

"You shouldn't blame yourself," the frantic White Fang soldier softly said causing Wilma to slowly turn her head and regard her comrade who was similarly keeping her head down with little streams of tears running down her face.

"It will only end up eating you from the inside," the frantic White Fang soldier finished quietly as she turned her head away from the reindeer Faunus who shook her head and kept her gaze forward as Ashanti put an arm around her friend's shoulder.

After much painstaking walking that made everyone want to collapse in exhaustion and crippling silence as everyone mourned the passing of those who had fallen not so long ago, the group managed to reach the blast doors separating the stations from the base.

"This is Sergeant Vickers…please open the blast doors," Sergeant Vickers solemnly stated as he pressed his thumb against a button in a wall panel and when he received nothing but static, the Sergeant let an angry snarl escape his lips.

After a long moment had passed, the Sergeant furiously pounded the button with his palm and was about to scream into it before the gigantic, reinforced doors slowly lifted up revealing a small squad of soldiers standing guard and Roman Torchwick twirling his cane in his hand.

"Geez, you guys look like shit, but onto more important matters did you manage to clear those rocks from the rails?" Roman calmly asked the Sergeant while not caring in particular of how badly hurt or exhausted the group was while the Sergeant sighed softly before blankly staring at the criminal mastermind eye-to-eye.

"No sir; the lights illuminating the tunnel went out and when we requested Evac, we were denied so we were forced to make it back here on foot. We lost-"

"And I am oh so sorry for what happened to your little fuzzy friends, but I that's not what I asked. So you're telling me that you animals couldn't get rid of some pebbles, right?" Roman interrupted the Sergeant causing Vickers to remain calm as best as he could while Wilma grasped her friend's arm when she aggressively attempted to step forward.

"Yes…sir," Sergeant Vickers responded and the words coming out of his mouth felt disgusting to say causing bowler hat to smack his lips and lean his face in closer to the commanding officer who didn't back down.

"Well then Sergeant Vickers, I know my boss will be so delighted to hear why you decided to delay her plans just to keep some of your petting zoo alive!" Roman remarked with a sickly-sweet tone of voice as he thumped his cane to the ground near the Sergeant's feet and sauntered off while muttering something that sounded like "stupid, no good animals" under his breathe.

"Everyone go turn in your gear and go to the infirmary for check-up…and good work, all of you," Sergeant Vickers stated to the group of remaining laborers and soldiers causing them to grin slightly and tiredly salute their commanding officer who saluted back at them as they walked off to do what the Sergeant said while Vickers slowly sat down with his hand on his head as some members of the security squad sat down next to him.

Wilma and Ashanti bade farewell to their comrades and opted to just walk to the supply depot by themselves as the reindeer Faunus spared a glance at Vickers who dejectedly looked down at the ground, but Wilma saw him frantically scan left and right for threats for some reason.

"Sarge doesn't look so good," Wilma pointed out while rubbing her neck to get some feeling back into it causing Ashanti to glance at Vickers over her shoulder and slowly nod her head while looking down at her forearm that had a nasty bruise on it.

"Tell me about it, but that's not what you mean is it?" Ashanti stated with a raised brow causing the reindeer Faunus to softly sigh before glancing at her friend concernedly causing the Zebra Faunus to put a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"He had that same scared look that Tukson had, you know? Like someone is out to get him? I'm just wondering what's got him so scared if the White Fang is supposed to look out for all its members," Wilma responded with a hand on her chin causing Ashanti to raise a brow and move her lips to one side of her face while staring up at the rocky ceiling of the base.

"Maybe he's worried that Adam will punish him?" Ashanti suggested with a small shrug of her shoulders causing Wilma to think about this theory before shaking her head before giving out a ragged cough and collapsing onto one knee.

"Wilma!" Ashanti worriedly shouted as she knelt down next to her friend and placed the reindeer Faunus's arm around her neck and gently pulled her to her feet while ignoring the searing, hot pain in her shoulder in protest of this action as another set of hands grabbed Wilma's other arm and placed it around her neck.

"I got you," Lacey assured the reindeer Faunus who managed a slight grin despite what she went through while the laid back White Fang Soldier held all of the equipment causing the Zebra Faunus to smile warmly at her comrades and nod causing him to give a thumbs-up.

"I'll return this stuff to the supply depot; you guys get her to the infirmary," the laid back White Fang grunt told his comrades who nodded at what he said causing him to jog over to the supply depot leaving Ashanti and Lacey to help Wilma to the infirmary.

"I didn't expect to run into you again," Ashanti truthfully told her fellow White Fang goon who laughed softly at this and nodded in agreement for what the Zebra Faunus said.

"Me neither, but we heard about what happened in station A so we decided to go help," Lacey explained causing Ashanti to look down at the ground for a moment before staring at her comrade with a raised brow.

"Not that I don't appreciate the help, but why? Wilma and I are just two goons out of thousands of soldiers," Ashanti pointed out causing Lacey to nod knowingly and look left and right and put her head closer to Wilma's causing the Zebra Faunus to confusedly look at her cohort before doing the same.

"Ashanti, for every decent White Fang grunt like the mustache doctor, Commander Tukson, and Sergeant Vickers, we both know there's at least thousands of other immoral creeps like that asshole on the bullhead, that commando with the chainsaw, and even Adam himself," Lacey whispered to her comrade causing the Zebra Faunus to sigh and reluctantly nod at this information before narrowing her eyes at her comrade before Wilma's raspy cough startled the two from their conversation.

"You want to know who you can trust, huh?" Wilma assumed in a low, ragged tone causing Lacey to nod at this causing Ashanti's gaze to soften as she and Lacey pushed open the doors to the infirmary and gently laid the reindeer Faunus down onto a gurney.

"By the shattered moon, you're even more hurt than last time!" the mustachioed doctor exclaimed incredulously as he rushed over to Wilma and began tending to the abrasions on her neck and the bite marks on her forehead as best as he could while Ashanti and Lacey sat down next to each other on a nearby gurney.

"There's more to this then you're letting on," Ashanti murmured causing Lacey to sigh and lurch forward with her hands on her knees while the Zebra Faunus expectantly gazed at her cohort for an answer.

"Decent people tend to disappear in the White Fang and nowadays, our _illustrious_ leader tends to recruit the absolute worst of the worst," Lacey admitted to Wilma's friend causing Ashanti to put a hand on her hip and stare down at the rocky floor with a long, hard look before glancing at her comrade blankly.

"Why did you join the White Fang?" Ashanti inquired of her comrade who looked down at her feet and put a hand behind her head while the Zebra Faunus patiently waited for her cohort's answer.

"I was originally from Atlas and as you know, it isn't known for its kindness towards Faunus, but I still wanted to be a Huntress like in the story books fighting for the good of the people, whether they are human or Faunus. However, no matter how many good marks I got in my studies, I was never accepted into even a combat school because the leaders of Atlas said that Faunus weren't fit to be soldiers, let alone huntsman," Lacey began while balling her hands into fists upon remembering this causing Ashanti to awkwardly reach out with one of her hands before slowly setting it down onto her comrade's shoulder causing Lacey to jolt, but gave Ashanti a slight grin.

"Eventually, I got tired of it and decided that I was done fighting for the people and instead, I was going to fight for my brethren only," Lacey finished and felt a surge of relief flow through her when she got finished it causing Ashanti to grip her shoulder tighter and pull her comrade in for a brief hug before breaking it off as the doctor went over to Ashanti who pointed to her bruised shoulder and jaw.

"Everyone has a reason to fight, my dear. We just have to make sure those reasons don't lead us astray," the doctor wisely advised the duo as he patched up Ashanti's shoulder and jaw without missing a beat causing both Lacey and Ashanti to look like they were a deer caught in the headlight while the mustachioed doctor just chuckled heartily.

"Do not fret; I will not say a word about what you two discussed," the doctor assured them as Lacey held her hand up and shook her head when the doctor tried to examine her for any wounds.

"Alright then; it's the same procedure as before. Eight hours of bed rest and your aura should naturally heal any injuries you suffered during that atrocity in station A. I don't know what they were thinking by trying to clear the rocks at night of all times," the doctor angrily muttered under his breath as walked over to his work area and offered his jar of treats to the ladies, but this time they politely rejected the offer causing the medical practitioner to nod understandingly and walk away as more soldiers came in for check-up.

"I'll leave you two alone," Lacey politely told the duo causing Ashanti to nod and salute her comrade with her good arm causing Lacey to return the gesture as Wilma shook her head sadly and leaned back into the pillow with her hands covering her red, teary eyes while Ashanti looked down at her bloodied uniform while clenching and unclenching her fists.

 _Pov shift_

Sergeant Vickers knew the benefactor's associates were coming to have a "word" with him about the incident in station A, but he calmly carried on tidying his room up with the utmost care and precision that he was sure that there was not even a single speck of dust lying around. Vickers allowed himself small grin and curt nod at his handiwork as he slowly picked up his mask, stared at it long and hard, and slipped it back onto his face. Sighing softly, Vickers spared a glance at his rifle that was lying near his bed and entertained the thought that with it, he could fight off the benefactor's associates and inspire his fellow White Fang to rise up against them, but shook his head at such thoughts.

No one was coming to save him; it was the dead of night and besides the security guards, everyone else was asleep, blissfully unaware of what was about to happen right under their noses. Instead, the Sergeant just sat on the edge of his bed with his back straight and kept his gaze on the front door while not moving a single inch of his body except to blink or breathe. Hearing knock on his door, the Sergeant let his gaze briefly go to the ground as he sucked in a breathe before letting it back out and slowly stood up to his full height.

"Come in," Vickers said as he steeled his nerves as the benefactor's associates stepped into his room with the grey-haired one having a cocky, predatory vibe around him as he sauntered into the room with his hands in his pockets while the green haired one had her hands clasped together and put a false smile of civility.

"Hello there; you're Sergeant Vickers right?" the green haired girl began with the same fake grin on her face that Vickers saw right through like a glass window, but kept his calm and put his hands on his hips while not changing his facial expression.

"Yes, I am. To what do I owe the pleasure to be meeting the associates of the White Fang's generous benefactor?" Sergeant Vickers responded with his own question even though he already knew the answer to that as he took a baby step back when the grey haired one sized up the White Fang member with the same arrogant grin he had since the start of this encounter.

"Well, the thing is that our boss likes to stay on schedule and she wasn't happy when _someone_ decided to do things their own way instead of doing what their told," the grey haired associate began as his grin turned into a frown and his muscles tensed up causing Vickers to softly sigh in order to keep his cool while staring at the duo through his mask as the green-haired associate locked the door to the room and stood in front of it.

"I know _he_ messed up-"

"You think? Dust doesn't grow on trees and those rocks aren't going to clear themselves so please, tell us why that certain _someone_ decided to put all of our boss's plans at risk," the grey haired associate sharply interrupted Vickers who let out puff of air escape his nostrils while keeping his hands on his hips while thinking about what to say next.

"That certain _**someone**_ followed through with orders that were outright suicidal to not only him, but the men and women he was put in charge with. Orders that cost the lives of brave men and women and traumatized those who survived!" Vickers retorted with ire as he balled his hands into fists causing the grey haired associate to smirk and stretch his legs a little while the green haired one gave a sardonic grin on what was to come.

"And we're oh so sorry to hear about your friend's loss, _Sergeant,_ but I think you just admitted that _he_ thinks that the lives of some random White Fang goons who can't even shoot straight are more important than our boss's plan," the grey-haired associate remarked with a false empathetic look before switching to a mocking smile as he took a step forward, but this time Vickers stood his ground which only got a chuckle from the grey-haired associate.

"I understand that every plan has risks, but my _friend_ can't go along with plans that blatantly disregard the lives of those serving in the White Fang any longer," Sergeant Vickers responded defiantly causing another laugh from the grey-haired associate as faster than the White Fang grunt could perceive, a hard, lightning fast kick impacted his face and the white hot burn of a dust bullet hitting his skull immediately broke through his aura and sent him crashing to the ground.

The kick along with the dust round fired from it horribly burned the Sergeant's face with a blistering red mark running across the Sergeant's face while also destroying one of his eyes which was permanently sealed shut with a fresh pool of blood forming around the eye like a puddle. To top it all off, his nose was bent in an irregular direction making it somewhat hard to breathe, but despite all that, Sergeant Vickers calmly sat up against the wall and sat a glob of blood that was forming his mouth off to the side and simply glowered at the benefactor's associates.

"Sorry Sarge, just following orders," the grey haired associate assured the vulnerable White Fang goon with a wide grin as another swift kick caused the Sergeant to tremble before he went limp causing the grey-haired associate to sit down on the edge of the bed and wipe his boots clean with the Sergeant's uniform.

While he did this, both of the benefactor's enforcers were unaware of a certain reindeer Faunus who had listened in on what was going on and quickly widened her eyes in terror upon realizing what happened and ran as fast as her legs could carry her to tell her friend.


	4. Chapter 4 In the Dark

Ch.4

In the Dark

 _For those who notice, the font and text are different because my Microsoft Word Starter 2010 Program stopped working so I had to switch to Open Office. I hope this doesn't take away from your enjoyment of this fanfic._

 _RWBY is the property of its respective owners_

Wilma huffed and puffed raggedly as she used what little strength she had recovered since the mining incident in station A to run in the opposite direction of the Sergeant's room and to the infirmary to tell her friend about what she heard. Shaking her head vigorously whenever her body flared up in searing pain in protest of her actions, she gnashed her teeth and forced down the pain as she pressed forward while ignoring the weird glances she got from her fellow soldiers.

" _Go see how Sergeant Vickers is doing Ashanti said, it will be fine she said!"_ Wilma shouted in a mix of confusion, anger, and dread inside her head while continuing to sprint through the base as if the creator of the Grimm was after her and was too caught up processing what she heard to hear the subtle, metallic ping off to the side.

As Wilma continued to run however, she noticed fellow White Fang goons that she had previously ran by in her escape causing her to frantically widen her eyes and come to a stop as she hurriedly scanned her surroundings. To her dismay, the reindeer Faunus saw the same soldiers that she had passed by mere moments ago causing her to bring a hand to her eyes and shake her head, but this did nothing as Wilma saw the same grunts as before.

"Why are they just standing...this is just an illusion," Wilma angrily muttered under her breathe as she intently focused on the image of the same "soldiers" just standing idly by and after a moment, the fake grunts ebbed away which revealed the multitude of White Fang soldiers snoozing or standing guard over their brethren.

Just as Wilma allowed a small, triumphant grin come to her face, she suddenly felt something as cold as ice wrap around one of her antlers and with another tug, the reindeer Faunus was yanked aside where she harshly hit the ground in between some of the walls near the deceased Sergeant's room. Grunting, Wilma spared a glance at her antler and found a razor sharp sickle attached to a strong looking chain wrapped around her appendage, but more importantly saw a green haired girl that looked like a swashbuckler glowering down at her while accompanied by a gray-haired boy wearing armor that protected his upper and forearms.

Forgetting her pain for a moment, Wilma glared at the duo with her fists clenched and if looks could kill, the benefactor's associates would be dead twice over, but all Wilma's resistance did was get a boot stomped down onto her throat while the chain wrapped around her antler pulled in the other direction and threatened to remove it from its socket.

"Going somewhere?" the gray-haired boy asked the reindeer Faunus with a smirk on his face as he stepped down on Wilma's throat with more pressure causing the stout Faunus to gag and claw at his boots in an attempt to pry them off, but the boot didn't budge despite her best efforts.

"I heard what you did; you won't get away with this," Wilma defiantly breathed out causing the gray-haired boy to chuckle and apply more pressure onto Wilma's neck causing the reindeer Faunus to give a scream of pain and desperately tried to get some air back into her system.

"No lying now," the gray-haired boy responded as his boots glowed a bright silver causing Wilma to widen her eyes in shock before just tightly gripping the boot and closing her eyes before rapid movement off to the side caused the pressure around her neck to cease.

Hearing the bullet meant to end her life being fired off and a ragged snarl that was meant to help the user force down the pain, Wilma turned her head and saw Ashanti with a burn mark adorning the belly of her uniform while being flanked by Lacey and the laid back White Fang soldier. Ashanti panted tiredly from not only taking the full force of the bullet meant to kill her friend, but also having the willpower to still stand on her feet afterwards.

"Get away from her!" Ashanti shouted with renewed vigor as she brandished her sword with her teeth barred and her eyes narrowed while Lacey and her cohort took out their rifles and pointed them at the benefactor's associates who weren't threatened in the slightest by this show of force.

Wilma, however, noted that the green-haired girl looked tired for some reason and was scrunching her brow as if she was in pain for a brief moment until she refocused on the "threats" in front of her causing Wilma to fiddle with the chain wrapped around her antler in an attempt to remove it. Suddenly, the chain uncoiled itself from her antler and returned to the hilt of the girl's weapon causing Wilma to scurry towards her allies who stepped in front of her while the benefactor's associates slowly backed away into the darkness with smirks on their faces.

"You can have her, but telling your icon isn't going to change anything," the green-haired girl cryptically responded and as if she and her ally completely merged with the darkness itself, the duo couldn't be seen despite the Faunus's enhanced vision causing Lacey and her cohort to frown while Ashanti grumbled and clenched her fist tightly before relaxing her hand.

"Are you okay Wilma? Ashanti concernedly asked her friend as she knelt down next to her with a wince and meticulously checked her friend for any injuries that she may have suffered while the reindeer Faunus let out a sigh of relief and rested her head on her friend's shoulder.

"I'm not, Ashanti; I'm not," Wilma softly replied with a shake of her head causing the Zebra Faunus to embrace her friend and rest her chin on her friend's head while the reindeer Faunus wrapped her arms around Ashanti's waist.

"Um, guys? Not to spoil the mood or anything, but we probably should tell Adam about what happened," the laid back White Fang soldier informed his allies causing Ashanti to spare a glance at him and nod while Wilma wiped away tears that she didn't know were there with her forearm and stood up on her feet with Ashanti following suit.

"You're right; what happened here is something Adam needs to know," Wilma responded quietly with her teeth gritted together and her hands firmly balled into fists causing the Zebra Faunus to put a hand on her friend's shoulder while Lacey and her cohort nodded at what she said.

Gently removing her Ashanti's hand from her shoulder, Wilma gave her friend a quick, brief hug before walking to Adam's quarters while Ashanti, Lacey, and the laid back White Fang grunt exchanged glances with each other before following their comrade.

* * *

"And that's what happened before you guys showed up," Wilma finished telling her comrades quietly so they wouldn't wake up their fellow soldiers who were sleeping as of now and keep the information of the event secret until they told Adam.

Ashanti, upon hearing the news, widened her eyes and put a hand to her forehead as she tried to process all this information while clutching her wounded gut while Lacey and her cohort lowered their heads in respect for the Sergeant before looking forward.

"I just...what were two humans doing on the base in the first place?" the Zebra Faunus mumbled incredulously causing Wilma to put a hand on her chin and narrow her eyes as she meticulously thought of all the possible reasons why the White Fang's sworn enemy was right under their noses, but none of them made sense.

"I want to say they sneaked in, but considering how confident and composed they were..." Lacey trailed off as she put a hand on her hip and looked down at the floor while her comrade just let out a soft snort and folded his arms while casting a glance at his friend.

"That could mean a lot of things, Lace," the laid back White Fang grunt replied causing his friend to let out a sigh and nod her head while Wilma let out a soft cough causing them to turn their heads to the stout Faunus.

"He's right, but it's like they were expecting the thousands of soldiers to not attack them," Wilma pointed out while pursing her lips and looking up at the ceiling as if the answer she was looking for was there while suddenly stopping at the door leading to their leader's quarters.

Wilma and her comrades couldn't help but feel a sense of dread wash over them; there in all its glory hanging above his door was the current White Fang insignia glowering down down at them and it was if it was judging all who come forward if they were worthy of entering. More than anything, Wilma wanted to just turn in the other direction and forget that his had ever happened, but when she felt Ashanti's reassuring hand on her shoulder, she sucked in a deep breathe and let it back out as she allowed herself to stare at Adam's door.

Although her legs felt like two tons of metal, Wilma managed to move herself toward the door and after hovering her hand mere inches from it for a few seconds, thumped the door twice with her fist and stepped back with her back straight and her hands behind her back. Much time had passed since Wilma had first knocked and after exchanging glances with her cohorts who shrugged in return, the reindeer Faunus was about to knock once more before the lock suddenly clicked. Standing at attention, Wilma, Ashanti, Lacey, and the laid back White Fang grunt saw the door slowly creak open to reveal the large, intimidating frame of the chainsaw commando who stepped out into the open and gently closed the door.

Even with the mask on, the low level grunts could see the wary, piercing gaze he was giving them with the black, soulless lenses in his mask which unnerved the goons, but they stood their ground as the commando began to speak.

"You guys know the rules; no gets to talk to Adam unless he orders you to," the commando bluntly informed the small group who nodded knowingly at this as Wilma stepped forward and saluted the commando who merely grunted in response, but gave the reindeer Faunus his attention.

"I know sir, but Sergeant Vickers has been assassinated by two humans," Wilma responded causing the lieutenant to reel his head back at the news and put a hand on his hip as he sized up the reindeer Faunus who was perturbed by this, but did her best to show no outward reaction.

"Wait here," the commando ordered them causing Wilma and her friends to nod as the lieutenant pushed the door open and closed it as mumbled words and curses could be heard through the door causing the goons to exchange glances with one another before looking forward again.

After a moment, the commando exited the room again...while dragging his chainsaw behind him causing a terrible, ear piercing screech that made Wilma and Ashanti wince while Lacey and her friend covered their ears to block out the sound.

"Adam will only see you," the commando barked at the reindeer Faunus while gesturing to the open door causing her to jolt at his tone, but nodded reluctantly at the order and slowly stepped toward the room.

When Wilma was neared the room, the commando shoved her inside and slammed the door shut causing Ashanti to step forward, but the display of the commando blocking the door with his chainsaw revved up caused her to scowl at him and step back with her arms folded while hoping her friend would be okay.

* * *

"Ah!" Wilma cried out as she felt something push her forward causing her to shift her body to the side so her antlers wouldn't impact the sides of the door and seeing the ground fast approaching, the reindeer Faunus used her hands to stop her fall.

Upon seeing Adam leveling a wary gaze at her, Wilma quickly stood up and saluted her leader who returned the gesture unlike last time while the reindeer Faunus scanned the room with her eyes hidden behind the mask and recoiled a little at what she saw. There on the walls of Adam's quarters were all sorts of equipment taken from his slain foes ranging from the multi-purpose weapons of fallen huntsman to the helmets of deceased Atlesian soldiers. Wilma withheld her disgust when she saw that all of the stolen equipment was stained with dried blood, but her inspection of the trophies didn't go unnoticed by the Crimson Scourge.

"This is the price people pay when they stand in the way of our noble goal, our revolution. Each and everyone of them got what was coming to them," Adam stated resolutely with a sadistic smirk tugging at his lips before going back to a frown as he casually rested a hand on the hilt of his sword causing Wilma to adjust her collar before resting her arms down by her sides.

"I...see sir," the reindeer Faunus responded slowly as Adam gestured to a wooden chair much too small for her, but Wilma didn't protest as she grabbed the stool and sat down as Adam began to speak.

"Here's what happened, soldier; Sergeant Vickers was killed in his quarters by Qrow Branwen and Taiyang Xiao Long," Adam informed her sternly causing Wilma to bolt out of her chair with her fists clenched and her face forming a deep frown while the White Fang's icon made no outward reaction.

"That's outrageous, sir! I can't dishonor Sergeant Vickers like that; not after he saved my life and the lives of my comrades!" Wilma shouted furiously as she gritted her teeth together, but Adam's clothes and hair once again took on a shade of bright crimson causing her to let out a soft snarl and slowly sit back down on her chair.

"The White Fang is closer than ever to eliminating the human scum off of the face of the earth and if the troops were to find out that two of Ci...the benefactor's enforcers killed one of my men, it would cause a panic," Adam refuted forcefully causing the reindeer Faunus to grumble and shoot her leader a death glare that was evident even behind her mask which caused the Crimson Scourge to smirk briefly before going back to a frown.

"I know people like you and that's why, in a way, Sergeant Vickers's death is your fault. If you had just gotten there sooner or if you just had some courage to barge into the room, he might still be alive, but since you didn't care about him enough, that blood is on your hands," Adam coolly told Wilma who balked at what he said and let a few tears roll down her cheeks, but wiped them away with her forearm and stared down at the ground while trembling slightly.

"So my darling, will you be willing to tell a little white lie to further the cause of the White Fang?" Adam inquired while grasping Wilma's chin and tilting it upwards with one hand while the other slowly reached forward and with great care, took of Wilma's mask revealing red, teary brown eyes staring at him in a mix of fear and revulsion.

"No," Wilma timidly responded while trying to move her head away from Adam's hands, but his grip was like iron and like a King Taijitu slithering toward unsuspecting prey, reached his hand up and pulled back her hood revealing auburn hair that was tied into a braid.

"C'mon my love, think of the greater good; you would be increasing the morale of the troops by spreading the word that Sergeant Vickers valiantly paid the ultimate price for fighting for our cause and you would be making up for the fact that you let one of my best men die," the Crimson Scourge explained in a soft tone of voice while lightly patting her cheek with his hand causing the reindeer Faunus to whimper, but kept her calm as best she could.

"We can't just write off Sergeant Vickers's death as him sacrificing himself for the good of our cause! He died keeping us safe-"

"That's enough! I am your leader and you will obey me!" Adam interrupted her by stabbing the point of his blade through the wall mere inches away from her face causing Wilma to jolt and moved her head back into the wall as the White Fang's folk hero glowered at her with the same fury he had when she and Ashanti mentioned meeting the ghost at the docks.

"You've seen what happened to those who get in my way; so what's it going to be?" Adam snarled at her as he aggressively removed his blade from the wall and returned it to its sheath, but Wilma noted his hands were tightly gripped around it with one of his feet subtly in front of the other one.

The reindeer Fanus balked at this; Adam was in a clear position to draw his sword and cut her down...and there was nothing she could do about it. All the soldiers in the White Fang knew of his skill; he could slaughter an entire battalion of Atlas's finest soldiers with disturbing ease and even the Kingdom's protectors, the vaunted huntsman, were wary of facing him directly and more than just one became nothing more than a stain on his blade.

"F-fine," Wilma hesitantly stuttered while staring down at the ground and shaking her head causing Adam to snort and step back allowing the reindeer Faunus to get back up and put her mask and hood back on as she hurriedly moved towards the door.

"Tell your friends they'd better keep quiet about this too...or else," Adam threatened causing Wilma to snarl under her breathe and gave a deliberate, slow nod to his order and stalked out of the room with her head down and her fists clenched while Adam snorted and watched his subordinate depart with a wary gaze.

* * *

Shortly after the meeting, Adam had ordered the small group to be transferred over to an abandoned building near the base for the time being so they could fully process what had happened, but Wilma had a few theories as to why he did this. He was allowing this so they could either be killed by a pack of Grimm so that way no one would know the truth, letting them discuss what happened so they would know the score and go along with whatever the benefactor had planned, or just ousting them as outcasts among the White Fang so they wouldn't be believed no matter if they were telling the truth or not. Either way, Wilma and her friends were not happy about what the reindeer Faunus told them.

"So that's it then!? If we tell the truth about what happened, the benefactor's attack dogs are going to come after us!? Ashanti furiously exclaimed while kicking a nearby rock with all her fury sending the pebble flying across an abandoned building causing Wilma to sigh and reluctantly nod.

"Damn it; alright, the way I see it we just have to keep our heads down and do what they say and maybe we'll still be alive when the White Fang gets us the equality we want," Lacey suggested causing Wilma to put her hands on her hips and shake her head at what she said garnering the attention of all her friends.

"I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen. When Adam and I are were talking, he mentioned how he wanted to wipe all of the humans off of the face of Remnant," Wilma replied solemnly causing Ashanti, Lacey, and the laid back White Fang goon to widen their eyes in shock and shake their head in disbelief at this.

"I may not like humans as much as the next White Fang soldier, but I'm no exterminator. What Adam is trying to do, what the White Fang is trying to do, is going too far," the laid back White Fang grunt stated disdainfully with his arms folded causing Ashanti to nod at what her comrade said while Lacey paced around with her hand on her chin.

"I agree, but we have to make a plan in case things go bad. If we try and run now, the benefactor's enforcers will take us out before we even see it coming. If we stay, then whatever the benefactor is planning by getting all this dust to supply a large army and having all the railways cleared will likely get a lot of soldiers and us killed," Lacey pointed out while aggressively tapping her hand against her thigh while Wilma suddenly moved in front of her small group with her hands on her hips which garnered their attention.

"I know we may not like it very much-"

"Beowolf," the laid back White Fang soldier pointed with a gesture of his rifle and upon turning her head, Wilma did indeed see that a creature of Grimm was indeed approaching their position with its teeth barred causing the small cadre of goons to grab their rifles and point the barrels of their rifles at the demon.

On the count of three, the goons peppered the monster with a hail storm of bullets that made the demon cry out in agony and collapse to the ground where it dissolved into black mist causing Wilma to let out a soft sigh.

"As I was saying, I know we may not like it very much, but we have to stay with the White Fang until we find out what's really going on and why Adam would be so willing to brush one of his men's death under the rug to keep the benefactor happy," Wilma explained to her comrades who looked down at their combat boots for a moment before returning their gazes to the reindeer Faunus.

"Not to be a downer, but the chances of us becoming commandos just went down the toilet too. If the benefactor's enforcers try to eliminate us right now, no one will know the truth about what happened and we won't stand a chance against them either," the laid back White Fang goon pointed out while lazily kicking a small pebble near his feet causing Wilma and Ashanti to snarl under their breathe while Lacey shrugged dismissively at this correct assumption.

"Ah, don't get so down you guys; you're going to attract more Grimm. Besides, commandos are the most bloodthirsty and dedicated soldiers of the White Fang, maybe even more than Adam is, so you're not missing out on much," Lacey joked in an attempt to lighten the mood and indeed, her attempt at humor elicited a soft chuckle from the small group who wore small smiles on their lips before Ashanti gestured with her head to an Ursa Minor slowly stalking towards their position with black smoke wafting off its body.

"What do you think that black smoke is?" Lacey inquired curiously as she and her cohorts pointed their rifles at the Ursa Minor who was now running towards their position wildly causing the laid back White Fang goon to shrug and aim carefully down sight.

"Don't know, but sure makes it easier to spot them," the laid back White Fang goon responded as he squeezed down the trigger and bombarded the monster's center of mass causing it to stagger backwards with a inhuman wail while the onslaught of bullets coming from Wilma, Ashanti, and Lacey's rifles impacted its face and left thumb sized holes in its head.

The creature of Grimm teetered on its feet for a little bit before crashing down on its side and dissolving into the same black mist as the Beowolf causing Wilma to narrow her eyes at this before brushing it off.

"Well, if we're going to do some detective work, I say we radio command and say we're setting up shop in that building over there. We won't be able to get a lot of information from the guys back at base, but at least we'll have the freedom to compare notes out in the open instead of doing it in secret," Ashanti suggested as she pointed the tip of her sword to the building in question causing Wilma to narrow her eyes and saw that the building was relatively intact despite the few cracks here and there.

"Sounds good to me; I'll radio command," Lacey stated as she grabbed the radio and held it to her ears while her cohorts sat down or leaned against a chunk of missing wall or whatever remained of it as Lacey attempted to contact the higher-ups.

"Command, this is Private Lacey, please respond," Lacey requested politely and for a moment all she got was static causing her to hold down the button on the radio once more before a voice addressed her.

"This is command, Private. Go ahead," the voice responded and upon hearing the voice, Wilma and Ashanti frowned and remembered how they were forced to walk through the pitch black tunnels causing Lacey to raise a brow, but said nothing.

"Sir, requesting permission to set up an outpost with fellow Privates Wilma, Ashanti, and Gates in the abandoned police station. If granted, we can provide reconnaissance to see if any huntsman or policemen are coming our way, clear out some Grimm that could interfere with other missions, and reduce the number of mouths you need to feed in the base," Lacey explained to her superior who was silent on the other line causing Lacey to exchange glances with her cohorts who shrugged in return before a voice Wilma didn't want to hear answered.

"Your request will be granted...if Wilma says what I want to hear to all the soldiers over the pa system," Adam responded sternly causing Lacey to shudder and with great reluctance, handed the radio over to the reindeer Faunus who grasped it in her hand and held it close to her mouth.

Although feeling sick to her stomach for ever having to do this, the reindeer Faunus sucked in a breathe and let it back out before pushing down the button and speaking into the device.

"Brothers and sisters of the White Fang, I am Private Wilma and I was assigned to work at station A where tragically, some of our siblings paid the ultimate price for their service to this organization. Sergeant Vickers got some of us back alive and I will be forever grateful for that, but sadly he was assassinated by two huntsman known as Qrow Branwen and Taiyang Xiao Long shortly afterwards in his living quarters," Wilma stated into the radio with her voice never wavering as if she believed the words herself, but Ashanti saw her friend's hands tightly clenched into fists the more she talked to the point they went white.

"I ask all of you to fight in the memory of our fallen brother and never forget the sacrifice he made to keep soldiers under his command safe," Wilma finished as blood began to drip down her hands and onto the floor below while Lacey and her friend shot down a Beowolf that was fast approaching them while Ashanti put a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"See dearest, that wasn't so hard. We'll be dropping off some supplies that will get you by for a few weeks for you and your friends shortly," Adam said in a soft tone of voice causing Wilma to turn her head and hold the radio as if it were a piece of trash causing the laid back White Fang grunt to take the radio from her as the group of four made their way to the police station.

After breaking down the doors leading into the station, the group split off into groups of two in order to scan for threats and besides eliminating some small Nevermores, the abandoned police station was secure. After locking down the doors and windows and barricading those that they couldn't, the White Fang goons made their way to the roof where they waited for Adam and his men with their hands in their pockets. They wouldn't have to wait long as a small aircraft carrier landed on a old landing platform on the roof where it kicked up a bit of wind that made the group of soldiers close their eyes as the ramp opened up to reveal Adam, the chainsaw commando, and a few goons carrying supply boxes that Wilma and her friends needed.

"Thank you sir; we'd be more than happy to take those supplies off your hands now," Lacey courteously told the White Fang leader who waved dismissively causing his soldier to unceremoniously drop the crates on the ground and kick them to the outpost soldiers like the crates were trash causing the outpost soldiers to glare at them, but knelt down and picked up the crates anyway.

"Wilma, I got these just for you," Adam said with a slight smirk tugging at his face as he approached the reindeer Faunus with a large, black case and for some reason, Wilma saw him staring at the black box with an odd sort of respect and heaviness to his eyes for the briefest of moments.

With a raised brow, Wilma slowly reached out and grasped the handle of the case and took a step back near her friends while Adam and his men remained where they were. Opening the case, Wilma jolted and did a double take to make sure what she was seeing was real as Adam stepped forward and took Wilma's mask, rifle, and sword away from her and gave it to one of his soldiers. With a glower shot Adam's way, Wilma slowly reached into the case and pulled out Sergeant Vickers's mask, rifle, and sword that were all restored to working condition, but were coated with dried Faunus and Grimm blood. Bowing her head in respect for a moment, Wilma slowly slipped her dead superior's mask over her eyes and grasped his rifle in her hands to get a feel for the weapon while sheathing his sword that never saw use in the battle in the tunnels next to her hip.

"You look terrifying...good; that's what the image we want the humans to see when they think of the White Fang," the commando complimented the reindeer Faunus who snorted and slung her rifle over her shoulder in order to fold her arms while the Crimson Scourge suddenly stepped towards Lacey who jolted and saluted her leader.

"Private Lacey, since you requested this, you are hereby promoted to Sergeant. Your group will be responsible for collecting the dust needed for the benefactor's plan due to Private Wilma's failure at the docks," Adam stoically informed his subordinate who nodded at this which oddly was a gesture Adam returned as he ordered his troops back into the aircraft as Ashanti narrowed her eyes at the bull Faunus while firmly gripping the hilt of her sword.

"Oh, and Wilma...try not to get anymore people captured or killed," Adam shouted over his shoulder to the reindeer Faunus who averted her gaze to the floor while Lacey and Gates narrowed their eyes at the soldiers as the aircraft took off into the air and flew back to base leaving the group of four alone with one another.

" _I don't know what's going with the White Fang, but I'm going to find out!"_ Wilma thought to herself as she tightly grasped the handle of her rifle while staring off into the distance with a blank look as the sun slowly began to rise in the distance.


	5. Chapter 5 Getting Settled

Ch.5

Getting Settled

 _RWBY is the property of its respective owners_

Adam Taurus and his lieutenant waited patiently with one another of what remained of their camp when they first meet the benefactor. Adam didn't know if it was to mock him or the White Fang cause, but it was here that they would be discussing recent developments like how certain soldiers became aware of what was supposed to be a quick, silent assassination that no one was supposed to be aware of save for a few while also getting up to speed on how to get the dust needed for the bomb.

" _I should have killed Wilma and her friends, but they haven't acted against the White Fang yet unlike the bitch,"_ Adam thought to himself with his facial expression remaining neutral as he spared a glance at the lieutenant who looked at him and nodded before they averted their gazes from one another.

Why couldn't Blake understand that the humans needed to die? They were vermin and would turn on their own kind just to further their own goals and his former partner was just too ignorant to believe otherwise. The equality she was fighting for, the peace between Humans and Faunus? It was just a pipe dream, one that needed to be stamped out lest anymore of his brethren follow her example, and a dream he would use to mock her once she was at his mercy once Cinder's plan comes to light.

The lieutenant, however, always understood his line of thinking and was thankful that at least one of his followers wasn't corrupted by empty promises and dreams. He was wary of Wilma though, but mocking her by giving her Sergeant Vickers's gear would always serve as a reminder of what happens to those who go against the White Fang's interests. That would either keep her in line...or the benefactor's associates would deliver unto her what happened to Sergeant Vickers.

Hearing footsteps approaching, both the folk hero and his lieutenant let out a collective sigh and stood at attention as the maiden of fire and her lackeys walked toward the members of the White Fang. Adam, beneath his mask, glared as the maiden of fire advanced towards him with that same smug smirk that she wore when she slaughtered all his men and..."convinced" him to work with her while ensuring that this partnership would be mutually beneficial. She hadn't been wrong exactly; the partnership did wonders for the White Fang's cause and they were close to killing all of the human scum, but the sword constantly teetering over his head that would strike him down if he ever fell out of line didn't get rid the sense of unease around her.

"What is it, Cinder? I've already got some of my men trying to find some dust to make up for the loss at the docks and I've already got the soldiers you worried about taken care of," Adam stated gruffly as he folded his arms and gazed at her warily which did nothing to evaporate her smug grin while the chainsaw commando stared at her two lackeys with his arms at his sides as if expecting them to attack at any moment.

"Taken care of? Then I'm correct to assume that they're dead then, right?" Cinder inquired in a tone that implied she already knew the answer to her question while Adam's glare deepened and he took a moment to compose himself before responding.

"Not exactly, you see-"

"If they're not dead, then they still pose a threat to my plan. A very, _very_ minor threat, but a threat nonetheless, so why is that you allowed them to live?" Cinder interrogated the White Fang leader as her clothes flashed a bright amber resembling a camp fire threatening to rage out of control while calmly narrowing her eyes causing the folk hero to tense up and fumble with his words.

"It's like the old saying goes, keep your friends close and your enemies closer," Adam responded evenly while hoping this would satisfy the maiden of fire, but all it did was cause her eyes to flash an angry shade of amber before returning to their normal hue.

"Thinking like that more often times than not leads to infighting and in the end, you're too busy fighting among yourselves than the threat at hand," Cinder refuted coolly as Adam clenched his fists with little beads of sweat rolling down his brow before he managed to calm himself and respond accordingly.

"As I have said, there's nothing to worry about. The soldiers you're worried about are using the abandoned police station as an outpost so we'll always know where they are, they have been given mostly outdated tech from the Great War and the Dark Days, and the radios they have will allows us to listen in on their every move," Adam informed the seductress who took a moment to think about what she had been told before stepping forward while swaying her hips and gently cupping Adam's chin in her hand.

"With all those precautions in place, then I am correct to assume that they won't become more than a thorn in my side?" Cinder inquired with her amber eyes giving a piercing gaze directly into Adam's eyes causing the folk hero to recoil a bit and nod slowly causing the maiden of fire to smirk.

"Very well, if they're still of some use, then I see no need to take them out...for now at least. Do not disappoint me again, Adam Taurus," Cinder stated firmly like a parent berating a child causing Adam to let out a soft sigh and give a defeated nod causing the maiden to smirk and walk away with her lackeys in tow.

The dismissive attitude Adam was being given was bad enough, but the smug smirks Cinder's lackeys wore on their faces as they turned back to stare at him made his blood boil.

" _The next huntsman or Atlesian soldier I see is going to get a taste of what happens when I'm in a bad mood,"_ Adam thought to himself while gritting his teeth and clenching his fist tightly before relaxing and heading back to his airship with the lieutenant in tow.

* * *

"Wilma, are...you doing okay?" Ashanti reluctantly asked her friend while putting a hand on her shoulder causing the reindeer Faunus to let out a soft sigh and shake her head while balling her hand into a fist.

"What's his deal giving you the weapons of a dead soldier? The bastard sure has a sick sense of humor," Lacey remarked while folding her arms while Gates said nothing and simply stared down at the abandoned streets with his rifle slung over his shoulder where a few unaware Grimm prowled the streets that were once bustling with life.

"...I think it's a warning...if we step out of line," Wilma suddenly spoke up causing Ashanti, Gates, and Lacey to exchange glances with each other and mull over what their comrade said before Gates spoke up.

"If this is how the White Fang treats its members, then it's no wonder the ghost decided to defect," Gates responded knowingly as he beckoned his comrades back when a Beowolf looked in their general direction when it sensed their confusion and anger over the situation causing the goons to take cover to stay out of sight.

"Wilma, we'll give you some space after we get everything sorted out, okay?" Lacey sympathetically said to her fellow goon who spared a glance at her and gave a slow nod in response as Wilma got in front of a crate and lifted it up with a little strain on her part.

Following suit, Ashanti went up to a crate and lifted up just enough so she could slide it while Gates and Lacey picked up a crate together and proceeded to drag it inside with their two cohorts in tow.

"Set them down over here guys," Lacey ordered her cohorts as she and Gates slowly lowered their crate near a destroyed cubicle causing Ashanti to gently set her crate down next to theirs while Wilma had far less tact and simply dropped the crate next to the others with a loud thud.

The floor shook a bit because of Wilma's actions and made small vibrations go up her cohort's bodies causing Ashanti and Lacey to cast surprised glances in the reindeer faunus's direction, but Wilma was already back on the roof getting the last crate of supplies leaving the rest of the soldiers alone with each other.

"Can't really blame her; I'd be pissed off too if I was forced to use the gear of a dead soldier, especially one who saved my life," Gates mused causing Lacey to stand up straight and fold her arms as she waited for Wilma to bring the last crate in while Ashanti leaned against the wall with her hands on her hips.

Wilma dragged the last box of supplies in with her brow furrowed and with much more tact than before, quickly set the crate down on the floor and stood up with her head down causing Lacey to sigh and step in front of her group of soldiers.

"Alright, let's get these open and see what goodies the boss gave us," Lacey stated with a slight grin on her face causing Wilma, Ashanti, and Gates to approach the crates and undo the latches on the lid with Lacey doing the same and upon seeing what was inside, the newly instated Sergeant let out an irritable sigh and shook her head.

"Well...it seems Adam's sense of humor hasn't gotten any better," Lacey commented as she reached into the box and pulled out an old muzzle loading rifle from the Great War causing her to observe the weapon with a raised brow before setting it down on the floor.

Likewise, Wilma raised a brow when she pulled out a primitive crossbow dating back to the Dark Days while Ashanti face-palmed when she yanked out some throwing axes which she promptly put back in the box.

"He did give us some ammo and plus...we got this," Gates replied as he took out a swivel gun and admired the design of the weapon with a smile on his face causing Lacey to shake her head and put a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"We'll figure out what to do with it later," Lacey told her comrade who nodded at this and returned through rummaging the crate for weapons and any other supplies Adam gave them.

After thoroughly checking through all the boxes of supplies Adam gave the outpost soldiers, Wilma had to bite back a curse when she and the others realized that although they had been given proper provisions like walkie talkies, rations, medical kits, and heavy duty coats, most of the weapons they had been given were rather...lacking to say the least. For whatever dust forsaken reason, Adam had given them what amounted to a museum's armament of outdated weapons like bows and arrows, muzzle loading rifles, crossbows, portable cannons, and all kinds of weapons militaries like Atlas only kept around for ceremonial uses.

"This blows," Ashanti stated disdainfully as she threw a sling she had been holding down onto the ground and scoffed angrily while Wilma likewise stared down at a rather large crossbow she had reluctantly picked out of the stock of supplies and weapons.

"I know, right? We don't even get the top quality rifles that Mantle used during the Great War, instead we get the crappy ones Vale used," Gates agreed as he lightly ran his finger over the stock of a old rifle that he had randomly picked out while Lacey rubbed her temple with her fingers in order to keep calm.

"Look, I know the weapons we got are...well...shit, but we're just going to have to make due. Besides, as long as we're smart with ammo, we can keep using our modern rifles," Lacey assured her unit causing Wilma and Ashanti to look at one another before looking back at their commander who picked up a radio and hesitantly put it on.

"Everyone go to channel 3 so that way no one can listen in on us when we're snooping," Lacey commanded causing Wilma, Ashanti, and Gates to pick up their walkie talkies and change it to that channel as the Sergeant pushed down on the button on the side of the radio transceiver in order to do a little test.

"Private Ashanti, do you read?" Lacey spoke into the device causing the zebra faunus to raise a brow at this and press down on the button in order to respond until a voice on the other line beat her to it.

"No, but I read _you_ loud and clear...Sergeant," a gruff, low voice on the other channel that the White Fang goons recognized as the chainsaw commando responded to Lacey's question causing the outpost soldiers to grumble and turn off their walkie talkies.

"They hacked into our communications!?" Wilma furiously exclaimed as she looked down at the device with narrowed eyes before setting it down onto a crate while Lacey shook her head with a frown on her face before turning the walkie talkie back on.

"That's fine! Privates Wilma, Ashanti, and Gates, I want non-essential chatter kept to a minimum from now on!" Lacey stated firmly into the device with a hand on her hip even though the faunus she was addressing were in the room next to her and without giving the commando a chance to respond, she turned off the walkie talkie and set it down onto a cracked table.

"What happens if we find out information on the White Fang that we need tell each other?" Ashanti inquired with her arms folded causing Lacey to put her hands on her hips and stare down at the ground long and hard before looking up at her subordinate.

"You're just going to have to get back to the outpost without being seen and if someone does see you, say you're out on patrol or going fishing for food," Lacey suggested causing Ashanti, Wilma, and Gates to exchange glances with one another with their brows raised before reluctantly nodding in response to this.

"We'll worry about the detective stuff later; Wilma and Ashanti, you guys take these crates down to the weapons depot and then take some ammo. Gates, you work on attaching these swivel guns to the windows while I work on the barricades so that way we don't ambushed in the middle of the night and then find us a place for us to lay our heads down" Lacey ordered causing Wilma to look down at the bloodied rifle Adam had given her before slowly nodding in response while Ashanti saluted her which was a gesture the Sergeant returned as the soldiers went to work doing their assigned tasks.

* * *

Grunting a bit, Wilma narrowed her eyes and lifted up two of the crates while Ashanti had no such struggle and easily raised the two boxes up and made her way to the stairwell with her friend following close behind.

"So...are you going to use one of the old time rifles or are you going to stick with the crossbow?" the zebra faunus asked her friend jovially, but Wilma simply continued to drag the crates she was carrying to the stairwell causing Ashanti to raise a brow.

"Both, along with Sergeant Vickers's rifle," Wilma replied tersely causing her friend to grunt and slowly scale down the stairs lest the crates send her hurtling down the concrete steps while the reindeer faunus gently kicked one box down the steps.

The crate hurriedly slid past Ashanti and crashed against the wall with a thud that made the zebra faunus jolt until she too let go of a crate she was carrying and watched it slide down the steps and impact the wall next to her friend's crate.

"Wilma, I'm just trying to cheer you up," the zebra faunus reminded her friend as she pushed her other box down the steps and watched it collide with the other crate she was responsible for bringing to the locker room while the reindeer faunus glanced at her friend tiredly.

"I know, and I appreciate it, but right now I just want to get this done," Wilma responded coolly causing Ashanti to look down at the ground before shoving open the door to ground floor from the stairwell open with her hip.

"If...that's what you want," Ashanti hesitantly said back to her friend causing the reindeer faunus to feel as if she had been punched in the gut when seeing Ashanti's sad face causing Wilma to sigh and glance at Ashanti.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," Wilma told her friend sincerely causing a brief grin to come to Ashanti's face before she stared straight ahead as she stepped to the side allowing Wilma to lift her foot up and kick the door leading to the weapon depot open.

"Wilma, let's not turn this into you trying to make me feel better. I'll give you some space when we're done, but you know you can talk to me," the zebra faunus responded with a knowing smile on her face causing a small grin to grace her friend's lips as she opened up a weapon's locker and shoved one of the muzzle loading rifles into it.

Following suit, Wilma took out one of the old composite bows and stuffed into another locker along with some arrows and the two friend would repeat this process for what seemed like ages until they finally reached the last few weapons and rounds. Remembering Lacey's orders, Wilma and Ashanti stuff a handful of ammo for themselves and their cohorts into their pockets before shoving whatever weapons and ammo that remained into the lockers save for the cannonballs and sacks filled with round shots causing the reindeer faunus to tilt her head.

"These are for the mini cannons Adam decided to give us," Ashanti explained causing the reindeer faunus to purse her lips and nod as she reached down and took large the sacks of iron balls into her arms while Ashanti carried the cannonballs in her arms.

Slowly, the two friends made their way to the stairwell with their gazes fixed to the floor so they wouldn't lose their footing and accidentally smash their head against the hard concrete floor. Neither of the two friends spoke for varying reasons with Ashanti wanting to give her friend the silence she needed to process everything that happened while Wilma just didn't know how to restart the conversation. Slowly, but surely, Wilma decided to break the ice between the two.

"So...uh...do you know what the Dark Days are?" Wilma questioned her friend curiously causing Ashanti to shrug the best she could while focusing on the steps ahead so she wouldn't trip.

"I know its before dust was discovered, but not much else," Ashanti replied causing her friend to give a grateful nod for the information causing the zebra faunus to nod in turn as the two made their way upstairs and went back to the area leading to the roof.

There, they found Gates meticulously working to attach one of the swivel guns to an open window causing Ashanti to lower the cannonballs near his feet while Wilma lowered the sacks filled with iron balls off to the side causing their cohort to look up from his work.

"Oh, thanks guys," Gates remarked as Ashanti reached into her pocket and gave him some ammo for his rifle causing him to salute the zebra faunus which was a gesture Ashanti returned as she and Wilma went back into the stairwell and headed downstairs to help their Sergeant.

When they got downstairs near the entrance, they saw Lacey with her head ducked down into cover causing Wilma to duck back into the stairwell while Ashanti dove behind a large, broken off chunk of wall near the Sergeant as an Ursa Minor menacingly peered through the shattered windows with its teeth barred. Seeing the red, piercing eyes of the demon scanning the room, Wilma shuddered and held herself as memories of what happened in the tunnels came flooding back into her mind like a tidal wave before she lightly thumped herself on the head to clear the thoughts out just as she saw Lacey gesturing towards something.

Seeing what she wanted, Wilma knelt down and tossed one of the conical bullets towards her superior just as the Grimm growled warily and gazed through the window causing Ashanti and Lacey to duck back into cover with Wilma doing the same. When the reindeer faunus was certain the monster wasn't looking in her direction, Wilma quietly took one of the muzzle loading rifles and the powder cartridge and quickly slid it across the floor just as the Ursa Minor snapped its head in Wilma's direction who quickly moved her head back into the stairwell.

Letting out a breathe that she didn't even know she was holding, Wilma tentatively poked her head out and saw Lacey bite down on the cartridge and easily tear it open with her fangs. The Sergeant then proceeded to pour the powder down the muzzle of the rifle and then pushed the conical bullet down the barrel with the ramrod just as the Ursa Minor shifted its head in Lacey's direction.

Immediately, the Sergeant stopped what she was doing and tried to quiet her breathing as she heard the monster's ragged growling while Wilma subtly placed the stock of the crossbow against her stomach loaded and quietly loaded a bolt. The reindeer faunus hoped the bullet would be enough to bring down the demon, but she wanted to be prepared just in case the creature of Grimm survived being shot.

Ashanti, seeing what her comrades were doing, loaded a large, almond shaped bullet into her sling and prepared to throw it just in case Lacey missed or the bullet wasn't enough as the Ursa Minor turned its head in Wilma's direction. As quick as a flash, Lacey snapped out of cover and took aim at the demon and before the Grimm could process the change in situations, it let out an agonizing wail as the bullet tore a fist-sized hole into its head. Wilma widened her eyes in shock at the power of the weapon while Ashanti had to keep her eyes from bulging out of their sockets as the Grimm crashed to the ground with a harsh thud and lay still before it started to dissolve into nothingness like many of its brethren before it.

"Thanks guys; I finished up reinforcing the one of the other barricades when that Ursa Minor nearly spotted me. If we hadn't killed it, it would have broken in with and caught us with our pants down," Lacey told her two comrades as she picked up a file cabinet and shoved it against the desk already braced against the door causing Ashanti to help her out by pushing a table in front of the file cabinet.

"Do our rifles do that?" Ashanti inquired to no one in particular in awe as she spared a glance at the muzzle loading rifle she had left back at the large chunk of wall she was hiding behind causing the Sergeant to let out a soft laugh as Wilma grabbed a large concrete slab and placed it against the table.

"Not sure, but maybe," Lacey responded as she patted the reindeer faunus on the shoulder causing Wilma to crack a small grin as she finished up bracing the entrance with anything lying nearby causing Lacey to observe the barricade intently with her hand on her chin.

"Alright, this looks like it will hold; thanks for your help. I'll finish up reinforcing the barricades, but you guys can head back up stairs and rest for now," Lacey continued causing Wilma to reach into her pocket and hand the ammo she got for the Sergeant to Lacey causing the White Fang goon to grin while Ashanti stretched a little and glanced at her friend.

"Ashanti...I-"

"It's fine, Wilma. I'll give you some space," Ashanti cut her friend off with an understanding nod causing the reindeer faunus to give a grateful grin in return as she headed up the stairwell and went up to the second floor of the police station.

Giving a quick salute to Gates, Wilma speed walked down the ruined hallway and went inside the first office space she saw which happened to be quite small, but she didn't care. Wilma sat down against the wall and tore off the bloody mask and lay it off to the side along with the new rifle she had been forced to use. Taking a deep breathe and exhaling, Wilma put a hand on her forehead and leaned her head back against the wall with a myriad of thoughts ran through her mind like a runaway train. Brief images of soldiers being torn apart by a swarm of Grimm flashed through her mind causing her to gasp, but after clenching her fist and closing her eyes, the images slowly ebbed away.

It was always her and Ashanti's dream to join up with the White Fang when they were just kids on Menagerie. After all, what kid didn't want to be the hero saving the day and being beloved by all? The White Fang representatives back on Menagerie painted a pretty picture of how the organization was; how they all looked out for one another and would not leave a single faunus behind in their quest for equality. They were all sweet words that painted the White Fang as the noble, downtrodden voices of the helpless that she and Ashanti unfortunately fell for and now that they really got to know the White Fang, the great lies the representatives told couldn't be farther from the truth.

The White Fang was nothing more than the enforcers of whoever the benefactor was from doing arduous manual labor that made some of the soldiers to exhausted to go on missions only to be forced onto the field to risking their lives on a daily basis for supplies that didn't seem to benefit the White Fang in any way like the dust from the docks. Wilma grimaced and shook her head sadly upon thinking of the countless White Fang goons before her that realized the truth of the White Fang all too late before they were either torn to gory shreds by the Grimm, cut down by the huntsman, or ripped apart by the bullets of the Atlesian soldiers.

No one should have to put everything on the line only to find out at the last second that their efforts were for nothing...and that's exactly what was going to happen to the new recruits from Menagerie.

" _Best not to think about that,"_ Wilma grimly thought to herself as she forced the demonic screams of the Grimm into the back of her head and let out a breathe that she didn't know she was holding and looked down at the cracked floor.

She truly wanted the rumors about Adam's ruthlessness to not be true, but seeing his treatment of her and her friends and by extension making a mockery of one his best men made her think there was more to the rumors than meets the eye. As much as it hurt, Wilma knew that Sergeant Vickers just saw her as another soldier that he needed to protect and that there was nothing special between them. Still though, the man did the right thing even though he knew it meant his death and for that she had to make sure his death wasn't in vain...somehow.

Putting one hand across her lap while the other one kept a grip on the handle of her rifle, the reindeer faunus stretched her legs out and turned her body so she was facing the door. Feeling like her eyes weighed a ton, Wilma slowly put the mask next to her leg and stared at it for a bit before closing her eyes and allowed herself to finally rest.

* * *

"Wilma, it's time to get up," a soft, gentle voice said to the reindeer faunus while shaking her shoulder causing Wilma's eyes to slowly flutter open and found Ashanti kneeling down next to her with both old and new rifles slung over her shoulder while having a plethora of throwing axes and a sling attached to her belt.

"C'mon, we have a mission."


	6. Chapter 6 Much to Learn

Ch.6

Much to Learn

 _RWBY is the property of its respective owners_

Yawning and then looking forward contemplatively, Wilma made her way towards the office space leading to the landing pad with Ashanti in tow while having her sword in its sheath at her hip while both her rifles and crossbow were slung over her shoulders.

"Did I miss anything yesterday?" Wilma inquired while shaking her head and slapping her cheeks causing the zebra faunus to let out a deep sigh and nod causing the reindeer faunus to raise a brow and put a hand on her hip as the duo continued to walk to the meeting site.

"Wilma...we saw a whole fleet of Atlesian airships pass over us last night," Ashanti replied causing Wilma's blood to run as cold as any of Mantle's deadly winters and put a hand on the wall while trying to take deep, slow breathes.

"Why? Sure, they've always had some troops stationed in the other kingdoms, but why bring an entire fleet to Vale now!?" Wilma asked incredulously as Ashanti put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it consolingly causing the reindeer faunus to grip her friend's hand and push off against the wall.

"I don't know, but I'm guessing whatever they're trying to do is going to require a _whole_ lot of tin men," Ashanti responded as she continued to look at her friend concernedly while Wilma continued to try and regain her breathe while keeping a hand on her chest.

Letting out another breathe and shaking her head, Wilma released her grip on Ashanti's hand and gave a quick hug to the zebra faunus who hugged her back before the duo resumed walking down the corridor. Upon making it to the area leading to the landing pad, they saw Lacey and Gates kneeling down on the floor with the sergeant pointing to areas on a worn out map while packs of supplies for the mission lay next to them. Hearing their footsteps, the sergeant and Gates looked up and waved amiably at their two cohorts causing Wilma and Ashanti to wave back as they knelt down across the floor from their comrades.

"Hey Wilma, I assume Ashanti told you the good news?" Lacey asked with a slight grin causing the reindeer faunus to bow her head with a sigh and nod as she put a hand on her leg and studied the map where certain areas were circled with a worn out marker.

"Yeah, and nothing lifts my spirit up more than hearing that our strongest enemy just got reinforcements," Wilma responded causing Ashanti to nod in agreement and fold her arms while the sergeant took this comment in stride and gestured for her unit to look at the map which they did.

"Alright, so here's the scoop; some of Adam's scouts found the rest of the cargo containers from the docks being supplied to military outpost here. The word is that some of the dust is supposed to replenish the dust that the tin men used up killing any Grimm that worm their way through Vale's natural barriers," Lacey began while pointing to an area on the map that showed rugged terrain and dense forests causing Ashanti to raise a brow and scratch the back of her head while Wilma put a hand on her chin as she waited for her friend to continue.

"The rest of the dust is being held at this outpost for safekeeping due to the disaster at the docks and it's scheduled to be shipped off to the other outposts manned by volunteers from Vale tomorrow and that's where the White Fang comes in," Lacey explained causing Wilma to narrow her eyes while looking down at the map and listen intently to every bit of information that the sergeant said while Ashanti similarly remained focused and studied the terrain as Lacey began to speak once more.

"Since flying right over the base is a good way for us to get gunned down, the air bus that's going to pick us up is going to drop us off here and then we'll have to make our way to the outpost on foot," Lacey continued as Wilma switched her attention to studying the terrain surrounding the outpost while Gates thumped his fingers on the floor while doing a quick count of how many rounds he had left in his rifle.

"If we make it to the base quickly or we don't, the chainsaw dude and a large squad of elite White Fang soldiers are going to attack from the front in order to get their attention while we sneak in from the back and take the dust," Lacey finished causing Gates to let out an unsure grumble with a raised brow causing the sergeant to huff and slowly roll up the map before placing it in her backpack and turning to regard her friends with her hands on her hips.

"Look, the soldiers from the air fleet we saw probably won't be able to reinforce the outpost in time so we'll just have to worry about the tin men inside," Lacey deduced while holding her index finger up in the air causing her unit to let out a collective sigh as they stood up and stretched a little.

"No offense Lacey, but that's a terrible silver lining," Ashanti responded with a hand on her hip causing the Sergeant to roll her eyes and throw her hands up into the air as she picked up her backpack that didn't seem to be carrying much off of the floor and put it on her back.

"At least we won't be facing huntsman this time," Gates pointed out while picking his ear a little with his finger before putting on his backpack causing Ashanti to sigh and shake her head as she walked over to a cubicle with two backpacks near it and held one out toward her friend.

"Since you needed to rest yesterday, I set up all the supplies we'll need for the mission," Ashanti told her friend causing Wilma to give her friend a quick hug and take the backpack while taking off the rifles and crossbow slung across her shoulders.

Setting them down on the ground, Wilma studied the backpack meticulously before she carefully placed her rifles and crossbow in straps meant to carry the modern day assault rifles, but they carried her obsolete muzzle loading rifle and her primitive crossbow just fine. Putting the backpack on, the reindeer faunus thought over the plan long and hard for things that might have been overlooked or any possible factors that might interfere with the mission before she widened her eyes as she came to a realization.

"Lacey, we're not going to kill anyone right?" Wilma asked her leader worriedly causing Lacey to be taken aback by this and immediately shake her head causing the reindeer faunus to let out a sigh of relief while the zebra faunus raised a brow as she finished attaching her weapons to her backpack.

"Adam only ordered us to get the dust, he didn't say what to do if we encounter any soldiers. Because of that, I'm ordering all you guys to only use wind dust, water dust...aaaand maybe lightning dust," Lacey drawled causing the reindeer faunus to grin while putting a hand on her chest as she grabbed her rifle and cycled the dust cartridge to only use wind dust for the time being.

"I wish I hadn't wasted so much ammo on that stupid kung-fu guy at the docks," Ashanti remarked as she grabbed her rifle from her backpack and cycled the cartridge to use water dust, but frowned when she saw the dust counter near the top of the rifle was less than half.

"Me too; I think I nearly used up all of mine trying to hit him and the Ghost," Wilma added as she and her friends made their way to the roof where they waited for the air bus to pick them up as they all found places to rest with Lacey and Gates sitting down on the floor while the reindeer and zebra faunus laid against the wall leading inside the police station.

"So...I have a theory as to what the White Fang might be up to," Wilma suddenly spoke up causing all her friends to gaze at the reindeer faunus expectantly causing Wilma to shyly rub the back of her head before she let out a breathe and began to speak.

"I'm thinking that since they had the soldiers clear all those rocks from the rails, maybe they want to make it easier to transport all this dust to the other White Fang bases around Vale?" Wilma stated with a shrug of her shoulders causing Ashanti to purse her lips and nod while Lacey put a hand on her chin and stared down at the ground while Gates picked his nose absentmindedly.

"That's plausible, but what if, and hear me out on this, the benefactor is looting all this dust for a secret super soldier program?" Lacey suggested while making a grandiose gesture with her hands causing a collective groan to escape her cohort's lips causing the sergeant to let out an indignant huff and fold her arms while Gates switched his efforts to trying to scratch an area on his back that couldn't be reached conventionally.

"I think you've been looking into conspiracy theories too much, Lace," Gates remarked as he continued to try relieve the itch on his back causing the sergeant to scoff and look away from her friend while Wilma and Ashanti chuckled under their breathes causing the sergeant to shoot them a death glare which promptly stopped their laughter.

"If you ask me, I think-" Gates began, but a sudden, fierce increase in wind cut him off as Wilma and the others looked up to find an air bus descending towards the landing pad causing Lacey's unit to stand up at attention as the ramp slowly opened up.

Wilma and Ashanti exchanged glances with one another as some White Fang soldiers walked down the ramp and although they disliked it, they saluted whom they thought was the commanding officer of the unit. The commander didn't acknowledge the gesture as she sized up the four members of the outpost and snorted as some of her soldiers rudely shouldered their way past the reindeer and zebra faunus. Rolling her eyes at the behavior, Wilma looked at Lacey who gestured with her head towards the aircraft causing the stout faunus to nod as she and Ashanti began walking towards the ramp before a White Fang soldier spat a glob of saliva at Wilma's feet.

Stepping back in disgust, Wilma and Ashanti shot a glare at the soldier who shrugged innocently and walked away causing the reindeer faunus to shake her head while the zebra faunus kept her glare on the soldier until he was out of their vicinity. Stepping into the aircraft, the two friends took off their backpacks and took a seat next to one another when they heard some of their fellow White Fang members heckling their friends.

Looking to the side, they saw Lacey gently push Gates towards the air bus and although he stood his ground defiantly, her pleading eyes caused him to growl under his breathe and stomp towards the aircraft leaving the sergeant alone with the commander and her troops. It seemed something out of a horror movie with Lacey being surrounded on all sides by ravenous Grimm wanting nothing more to tear into her flesh while their prey had no means of escape as the commander stood face to face with Lacey who stood up straight and slowly saluted her.

"My superiors wanted us to watch your outpost while your unit was away, but who knows? Maybe after this mission this outpost will be getting new residents," the commander calmly told the lower ranked soldier whose expression didn't change and simply nodded in turn as she grabbed her backpack and made her way towards the bullhead with her head held high.

Taking a seat near Gates who had his teeth clenched, Lacey put a hand on his shoulder and gave a small grin to lift his spirits up causing her friend to smile back as the group of four saw the ramp close and the felt the air bus lift into the air.

"Why do they have to be so mean?" Wilma muttered under her breathe as she began rummaging through the ammo pouches on her bag and counting the amount of rounds and crossbow bolts she had while Ashanti nodded in agreement and began aggressively sharpening her sword causing Lacey to sigh deeply while giving a half-hearted shrug.

"I don't like it as much as you guys do, but remember everyone in the White Fang probably thinks we all just stood by and let two huntsman kill Sergeant Vickers so we're just going to have to put up with it," Lacey whispered to her comrades causing Wilma to grumble and nod reluctantly while Ashanti snorted and leaned back in her chair while Gates picked at his fingernail in order to pass the time.

The rest of the trip was in relative silence as the only sounds that could be heard were the inner workings of the air bus and Wilma checking over her gear for the umpteenth time which annoyed her comrades a bit, but they put up with it regardless of how irritating it may be. Just as the reindeer faunus decided it might be a good idea to get some rest before the mission, she heard the intercom come to life causing Wilma to let out a puff of air from her nose and grab her backpack.

"Landing site is coming up, get ready to deploy," the pilot informed the team causing Wilma and Ashanti to stand up and put their backpacks on while taking out their rifles with Wilma doing a last minute inspection on her weapon before finally refocusing on the mission to come as the air bus slowly landed on the ground and opened the ramp.

Holding her arm out, Lacey did a quick scan of the area before making a throwing motion with her arm and slowly creeping down the ramp with her rifle raised causing Wilma, Ashanti, and Gates to follow her before the sergeant's radio came to life.

"We don't want our communications to be hacked so don't contact me until you've secured the dust" the pilot ordered the sergeant who took the walkie talkie off her belt and held it up to her lips while pressing down on the button at the top of the device while her friends monitored their surroundings for hostiles.

"Alright, just hang tight," Lacey responded before signing off as she looked to her unit and motioned her hand forward like she was throwing a ball causing Wilma, Ashanti, and Gates to slowly creep forward and follow the sergeant who was sneaking around the trees like a ninja in order to get to their objective.

After creeping through the trees and foliage with mixed results as someone would either accidentally step on a twig or brush their bodies against a bush, Lacey opened her hand and held it out towards her unit like a stopping guard causing Wilma, Ashanti, and Gates to pause in their steps.

"There it is," Lacey said simply causing Wilma to sneak forward and jolted a bit when one of her antlers accidentally scraped against the bark of a tree before she tentatively looked over the bush like a curious child and was taken aback by the sight she saw.

"T-there's so many," the reindeer faunus stuttered quietly as all around the outpost, stalwart soldiers and menacing Atlesian Knights patrolled around the base while looking for even the slightest thing that seemed to be out of place which made the group of four uneasy, but kept their composure.

"The worst part is that supposedly, the science buffs back in Atlas are building a new tin man to put on the front lines. S'pose to be even more dangerous than these ones," Gates murmured while glancing at one of the dark, giant Atlesian knights who's crimson visor surveyed the area slowly causing Ashanti to gently push her friend aside and carefully peeked over the bush with her eyes narrowed that was evident even behind her mask.

"They aren't happy with the kid-friendly murder bots they have now?" Ashanti remarked as she ducked back into cover when a soldier nearly spotted her causing Lacey to let out a puff of air from her nostrils and bring her assault rifle up just in case the fighting started on their side.

"Take my word for it, Ash; if it were a saying, mostly everyone in Atlas would have perfect isn't good enough tattooed on their arms," Lacey replied causing the team to have a brief, quiet fit of laughter as the Sergeant motioned for her unit to get their gear ready, but to stay in cover.

Wilma and Ashanti nodded as they both slowly crept behind two trees and leaned their backs against them while Gates inched his way to the back of the group and knelt down while Lacey got down onto her belly while keeping an eye on the base. Suddenly, it was dead quiet with nary a word or sound being let out by either soldiers before war cries, screams, bullets flying through the air, and explosions echoed throughout the wood land area. Motioning for Wilma, Ashanti, and Gates to follow her, the reindeer and zebra faunus flanked the Sergeant at either side with their rifles raised while Gates brought up the rear.

"Uh...Lacey? How are we getting inside again?" Wilma whispered as she spared a glance at the large, resolute walls of the military outpost to which the sergeant didn't immediately answer and instead motioned for them to keep moving which she, Ashanti, and Gates did.

"Well, we're sure not climbing inside," Ashanti murmured as she looked up and on top of the strong walls were razor sharp wires that crackled and sparked with powerful electricity causing the reindeer faunus to wince a little when she saw the razor wire give off a burst of excess electricity.

"Alright, let's stop here," Lacey ordered her unit causing Wilma and Ashanti to exchange glances as their group stopped a few feet away from the south side of the military outpost while Gates took the reprieve to rub his eye briefly before bringing his rifle back up.

"I don't think any of us can jump that high Lace," Gates noted causing the reindeer and zebra faunus to nod in agreement while the sergeant rolled her eyes and fiddled with her assault rifle before looking up at her unit once again.

"We don't have to, we just need to use wind dust rounds and the recoil of our rifles to boost us over the wall," Lacey retorted as she pointed at Wilma causing the reindeer faunus to widen her eyes and point at herself to which the Sergeant immediately nodded at.

The reindeer faunus briefly glanced at Ashanti who looked back at her and shrugged causing the reindeer faunus to briefly slump her shoulders before jogging over to Lacey who wrapped an arm around Wilma's waist and then pointed her rifle at the ground. Blushing a bit, Wilma shook her head and regained focus as she aimed the barrel of the gun at the ground while Ashanti and Gates slowly looked at one another before walking over to a spot next to their cohorts. Mimicking what Wilma and Lacey did, they aimed the barrels of their guns downward and looked to the Sergeant who inhaled and exhaled a bit as the fighting at the front raged on.

"Okay...1...2...3!" Lacey shouted as she and Wilma depressed the triggers of their rifles nearly at the same time causing a hailstorm of bullets to rapidly impact the ground while Wilma did everything in her power to resist going against the recoil of the gun and let it carry her into the air while maintaining her grip on her friend.

"W-whoa!" Wilma yelled as she saw herself being lifted into the air by the recoil slowly before she turned her head backward and saw that she and Lacey were nearly over the razor wire before their rifles suddenly clicked causing Wilma's eyes to widen.

Acting fast, the reindeer faunus firmly gripped the Sergeant in a bear hug and leaned back causing the duo to fall toward the electrified razor wire where Wilma landed on the barbs harshly. Immediately, Wilma felt as if she were simultaneously being stung by a swam of bees and being struck with multiple tasers from many police officers causing her to let out a scream through tightly gnashed teeth as she realized that she and Lacey were snagged on the razor wire.

Tugging and twisting her body with all her might, Wilma suddenly found herself and Lacey freed, but the duo unceremoniously fell backward with the reindeer faunus taking the brunt of it and landing on the walkway back first with the sergeant lying on top of her. Both the reindeer faunus and the sergeant let out a miserable groan as Wilma shook her head to clear the cobwebs and got into a kneeling position while keeping an arm around Lacey's waist who shut her eyes while gritting her teeth before looking at Wilma with her eyes downcast.

"You okay?" Lacey asked the stout faunus concernedly as she tightened her grip around Wilma's waist and helped her up to her feet causing a fiery pain to erupt in Wilma's back, but the reindeer faunus bit down on her lip and forced down the pain as she nodded at her friend's question.

"That's good; now all we need to do is wait for-"

Lacey was cut off as Ashanti and Gates suddenly ascended into Wilma's and Lacey's field of vision with a fiery streak behind them like a meteor causing both the reindeer faunus and the Sergeant to widen their eyes as the pair ascended into the air higher than they did. However, physics dictated that what goes up must always come down and thus Ashanti and Gates harshly crashed into the walkway causing the railing to shake a bit as the zebra faunus lay on top of her partner. Ashanti coughed a little and sucked in a breathe before grabbing the railing in one hand and climbing to her feet before offering her hand to Gates.

Although the man had the wind knocked out of him due to feeling as if a car landed on top of him, he managed to grasp Ashanti's hand into his own and felt himself being hauled to his feet with a strong tug as Wilma and Lacey approached them with their rifles grasped in both hands.

"Don't you dare laugh," Ashanti snarled at her friend who covered her barely concealed grin with her hand causing the zebra faunus to let a low growl escape her lips before taking out her rifle and casually holding it in both hands.

"Let's...not use fire dust next time," Gates remarked as he stretched his shoulders a bit before taking out his rifle, cycling through the dust cartridge, and holding it in both hands as Lacey crouched down and held a hand up.

"Alright guys, let's go rob these fools," Lacey said quietly as the fighting in the front of the outpost raged on while Lacey, Wilma, Ashanti, and Gates moved out in groups of two down the walkway before descending down the stairs with their rifles raised.

Converging into a group once more, Wilma kept her rifle raised and her eyes narrowed as the Sergeant kept moving toward an aircraft hangar intently causing Wilma and Ashanti to briefly exchange glances before refocusing on the task at hand. Suddenly, Wilma jolted and fumbled with her rifle when she heard Gates fire off a quick, three round burst from his rifle from behind the group causing the reindeer faunus to turn her head and found an Atlesian soldier who tried to sneak up on them lying on the ground while clutching her thigh tightly.

"Uh oh," Lacey muttered as some soldiers rushing to reinforce the defense against the forward assault turned their heads and found not only one of their comrades down, but four White Fang soldiers standing over her.

"Get to the aircraft hangar, now!" Lacey yelled at the top of her lungs as she backpedaled and wildly fired in the direction of the unit of soldiers attempting to get after them causing them to bring their armored forearms up to cover their face which blocked some of the bullets being fired by the Sergeant.

Wilma and Ashanti didn't need to be told twice as they urged Gates to go on ahead causing him to narrow his eyes and fire another fast burst from his rifle causing another Atlas soldier to hit the ground while grasping his foot. Hurriedly looking toward the reindeer and zebra faunus who were providing cover fire, Gates grumbled before running past them and when the reindeer faunus saw that he made it to the hangar door, she glanced at Ashanti who nodded.

Nodding back, the two friends let out a terrified scream as they turned tail and ran for the aircraft hangar while blindly firing over their shoulders while Lacey and Gates struggled to get the doors to the aircraft hangar open.

"Open fire!" the supposed leader of the unit of soldiers who broke off from the main group ordered and with much more discipline than the four low rank White Fang soldiers, they shot off streams of bullets that more often than not hit their mark.

Gnashing her teeth as a hailstorm of bullets peppered her backside, Wilma grabbed Ashanti's arm and ran full speed ahead towards the now open hangar doors as the zebra faunus hissed with every bullet impact that was absorbed by her aura. Just as they nearly got inside, both of the heavyset faunus suddenly crashed to the ground as when Ashanti attempted to fire off one last blast from her rifle, she howled as a barrage of bullets collided with her bosom which her aura withstood like a castle under siege. Wilma, on the other hand, wailed as she fell face first onto the ground as a storm of bullets impacted her buttocks hard enough that she lost feeling in her legs, but her aura stood strong against the onslaught.

Luckily, Lacey grabbed Wilma's armpits and began to tug her inside while Gates grasped the back of Ashanti's shirt and dragged her into the hangar while the zebra faunus clutched her breast and angrily bombarded the soldiers with round after round of bullets. Setting their comrades down off to the side, Lacey and Gates quickly grabbed the handles on the door and shut it as fast as they could in spite of some bullets hitting them while they did this causing them to hiss in pain. Locking the door down, Lacey and Gates slung their rifles over their backs as they both rushed over to help their downed comrades with Lacey going to Wilma while Gates went over to Ashanti.

The reindeer faunus tried to stand up again, but she gritted her teeth together as her legs flared up in searing pain in protest of this action, but she tried to get up regardless of the agony it caused her as Lacey suddenly grasped her arm.

"Thank you Lacey," Wilma kindly stated while managing a smile despite her injury acting up causing the Sergeant to grin back at her friend as she stabilized her footing and pulled the stout faunus onto her shaky feet.

Giving a quick hug to Lacey, Wilma shut her eyes and stretched her back while properly breathing which helped her faze out the pain in her bruised butt to a certain extent as Gates pulled Ashanti to her feet and patted her on the shoulder.

"Thanks, but did I really just get shot in the boob!?" Ashanti exclaimed furiously before she winced in pain as her breathing became a bit labored and moving her body to the side caused her some degree of pain, the zebra faunus refused to let this injury get in the way of the mission.

"Well, soldiers are taught to aim for center mass so..." Wilma pointed out timidly causing Ashanti to put her hands over her eyes and irritably snarl while leaning her head back before she put her hands down and let out a soft sigh.

"...I can't be mad at you," Ashanti said simply as she, Wilma, and Gates watched as Lacey scurried around the aircraft hangar like a madwoman for something causing Wilma and Ashanti to raise their brows and look at one another while Gates slowly stepped forward to confront the sergeant.

"Get the spider tank here on the double! The rest of you go around back and cover the exits!" the commander on the opposite side of the hangar doors shouted causing Wilma's eyes to nearly bulge out of their sockets upon hearing this while Ashanti gritted her teeth and pulled out her assault rifle while stepping in front of her friend.

"Lacey, the dust is here right?" Gates asked calmly, but this was offset by him backpedaling away from the door with his assault rifle raised while Wilma regained her bearings and stepped away from the door hurriedly with her rifle aimed at it, but nearly tripped.

"Well...I thought they wouldn't have enough time to move the cargo containers," Lacey explained sheepishly causing Gates to resist the urge to groan as he took cover behind some crates while Ashanti grabbed her friend's arm and pulled her behind some crates on the opposite side of Gates.

"Well, apparently they managed to fit it into their busy schedule!" Ashanti commented as she winced a little when her chest briefly felt like it was struck by a hammer that made breathing a bit difficult, but kept her rifle aimed at the hangar door.

Outwardly, Wilma kept her cool as she slowly inhaled and exhaled while keeping her weapon pointed at the door, but internally, the thought of facing down a spider tank and a unit of highly trained and disciplined Atlesian soldiers made her tremble while Lacey proceeded to pace back and forth for a solution to salvage the situation. Both Wilma and Ashanti gasped and jolted as the thunderous footsteps of the spider tank grew ever closer to the aircraft hangar the group was in causing beads of sweat to pour down Wilma's brow as she struggled to stay focused.

"Lacey, a plan to get us out of this would be nice!" Wilma shouted while glancing between the sergeant and the doors as the reindeer faunus nervously gritted her teeth when she heard the spider tank slowly charge up a shot into its cannons and her breathing hastened when she heard the stampede of footsteps running outside in order to cover all routes of escape.

Things certainly seemed bleak as Wilma and Ashanti's arms trembled while holding their rifles despite having a focused gaze while Gates wiped some sweat off his forehead and prepared for what could be a disastrous battle not in their favor before Lacey suddenly snapped her fingers and held a hand up.

"I know what we should do!"


	7. Chapter 7 Of Good and Evil

Ch. 7

Of Good and Evil

 _RWBY is the property of its respective owners_

"Everyone, get in the air ship now!" Lacey demanded as the laser blast from the spider tank's cannon effortlessly blew a hole into the hangar door and knocked Wilma, Ashanti, Lacey, and Gates off of their feet as debris fell on top of them.

The spider tank operator and the unit of Atlesian soldiers seized the advantage and fired upon their downed foes while the low ranking White Fang soldiers hurriedly threw the debris off of them and made a mad dash for the air ship as if they were mice being chased by a horde of rabid, hungry cats.

"Crap, crap, crap!" Wilma screeched as she grabbed Gates's arm when she saw him fall down and ran towards the air ship as fast as her legs could carry her while keeping a firm grip on her friend's arm and on top of that having to force down the pain from her previous injuries.

Gates, in another capable display of his marksmanship, turned his body to the side and took careful aim before depressing the trigger causing an Atlesian soldier to cry out and hit the ground as she tightly gripped her wounded hand.

"Lacey, hold this please!" Ashanti bellowed as she quickly handed the sergeant her rifle and stabilized her footing as the spider tank fired off another shot at Wilma and Gates who managed to barely get out of the way, but they were still flung forward from the force behind the energy blast.

Lacey hurriedly took Ashanti's rifle and tilted it along with her rifle to the side a bit as she felt the zebra faunus grab the scruff of her collar and hastily drag her to the air ship as if the creator of Grimm was after her. Taking careful aim, Lacey squeezed the trigger and immediately her enemies were forced to take cover as a hailstorm of bullets flew their way like heavy rainfall while others fell from the onslaught of bullets before the spider tank blasted another cannon shot which was aimed at them this time. Ashanti, seeing the cannon shot headed their way, put her hands underneath Lacey's armpits and using all of the strength in her legs, jumped back as far as she could as the energy blast impacted the area where they once were.

Thanks to Ashanti's actions, she and Lacey weren't turned to paste from the force behind the cannon shot nor were they obliterated into nothingness, but they both were still sent flying forward with the heat burning away at their uniforms and causing some mild burns on their flesh. Ashanti and Lacey harshly tumbled across the floor like a driver going at high speeds suddenly flung from their windshield where they came to a stop with the zebra faunus lying on her belly while Lacey was lying on her back.

"Both of you let's go!" Wilma wailed worriedly as she grabbed both of her friend's arms and dragged them up the damaged ramp into the air ship while Gates grimaced when he felt a bullet hit his shoulder only for the White Fang goon to fire back and yet another tin man hit the ground while putting a hand over the inside of his elbow.

"Gates, get in!" the reindeer faunus shrieked concernedly and despite the deafening sounds of battle, Gates heard her and tactically retreated towards the airship while continuing to fire at his enemies while Wilma helped by wildly blasting rounds from her rifle at the soldiers forcing some of them to take cover.

Seeing Gates sprint up the ramp, Wilma quickly closed the ramp up and ran over to Ashanti while Gates slung his rifle over his shoulder and knelt down next to Lacey.

"You okay?" Wilma asked her friend while helping her up to her feet which Ashanti nodded at it before frowning when she saw that part of Wilma's pants was torn revealing a rather nasty burn mark running down her leg that was a bright, furious red.

"Wilma, Ashanti, get to the turrets and blast these guys!" Lacey shouted while she ran towards the pilot seat with Gates not too far behind causing the two friends to hastily nod and sprint over to the machine guns before they both gasped and fell forward as the spider tank fired upon the air ship causing it to shake uncontrollably.

"Uh...Lacey," Gates grumbled while patting her shoulder causing the sergeant to turn around and find that the ramp, the only thing separating her team from their enemies, had fallen down from a well placed shot from an Atlesian soldier.

"Damn it; Ashanti, come back and help Gates fend these guys off! I'm going to try and get this thing moving!" Lacey shouted as she frantically searched the panel for anything that may seem to start the air ship while Ashanti took out one of her throwing axes and flung it at one of her foes who shot the ax out of mid air and tried to advance up the ramp only to be shot in the knee by Gates.

Wilma, in the meantime, managed to reach one of the ladders leading to a turret only for another shot from the spider tank to rock the aircraft which made the reindeer faunus gasp as she nearly fell on her face only to stop her fall with her forearms. Shaking her head, the White Fang goon quickly climbed to her feet and shifted her head to the side a bit so her large antlers wouldn't get in the way as she slowly climbed down the ladder and sat down on a chair that was in control of the turret guns. Grimacing and letting out a low hiss when her butt flared up in searing pain, the stout faunus shook her head vigorously before refocusing on the task at hand.

"Okay Wilma, just think of this as shooting a really, _really_ big rifle," the reindeer faunus breathed out as she tentatively grabbed the handles meant to maneuver the turret around and slowly aimed the barrel of the guns at the soldiers trying to move into the air ship she and her friends were on, but were being repelled by Ashanti and Gates for the time being.

Just as she was ready to fire, Wilma was forcefully flung forward and hit her head on the handle as another shot from the spider tank made the air ship shake like a building in an earthquake causing the stout faunus to groan and let out a breathe before regaining her composure. Taking careful aim, Wilma squeezed down on the triggers and let loose a three round burst of the turret that hit a soldier in the chest and sent him crumpling to the ground causing his comrades to immediately switch their attention to Wilma.

Gritting her teeth, Wilma shot off another three rounds as bullets began hitting the glass around the small compartment she was in, but the reindeer faunus paid it no mind as let loose multiple three rounds bursts from the turret that would miss the majority of the time, but would sometimes hit their mark and send a soldier crashing to the floor.

"Wilma, let the bullets fly, girl!" Lacey chided her causing the reindeer faunus to raise a brow and shake her head as she pressed the triggers as hard as she could and watched as thousands of rounds flew from the barrel towards the direction of the soldiers causing the reindeer faunus to widen her eyes as tin men began dropping like flies from the wild barrage.

While the Atlesian soldiers were busy dragging their wounded behind cover, one soldier jolted when he saw a musket ball embed itself into the wall mere inches away from his face. Another tin man, however, wailed as a round shot hit the metallic structure of his foot armor where his big toe would be and collapsed on the floor while holding his foot as he let out a bitter curse.

"I can't hit anything with this!" Ashanti snarled angrily as she slung her muzzle loading rifle on her shoulder and took out a throwing ax and while Gates ducked back into cover and took out a primitive hunting boomerang.

"Try aiming off target a bit," Gates suggested as he took out a large hunting boomerang and carefully peeked out of cover where he found his next target that was focusing their fire on the compartment Wilma was in.

Bringing his arm back, Gates threw the boomerang as hard as he could at his distracted foe and saw the boomerang bounce off the helmet causing the soldier wobble on her feet before falling onto her back while breathing slowly. Ashanti followed suit as another energy salvo from the spider tank made the air ship tremble, but the zebra faunus managed to remain focused and hurled her throwing ax at a tin man who was about to fire into a gap in the area of the ship Wilma was in, but the back of the throwing ax hit her in the side of her helmet.

The Atlesian soldier let out a cry and hit the ground face first where she lay still while letting out a groan causing Ashanti to nod as finally, the air ship began moving forward at a snail's pace. The reindeer faunus allowed a grin to come to her face before she resumed maintaining suppression fire on the tin men while ignoring the ear splitting sound of the downed ramp dragging across the ground.

While she was busy keeping the tin men at bay, Wilma couldn't help but let out a quick laugh as after the air ship endured a few more shots from the spider tank, Lacey rammed the giant aircraft into the spider tank which knocked it on its side where it rapidly flailed its legs in a futile attempt to get upright. Seeing her enemies retreat, the reindeer faunus kept her grip on the handles and kept a lookout for any other soldiers headed their way while hearing Lacey order Ashanti to get to the other turret.

"Alright, we just need to get to the warehouse-"

Lacey began only for the spider tank to bombard the ship from its helpless position with the energy blast impacting the side of the ramp and sent Gates flying forward like rag doll where he hit the glass, collapsed on the panel, and crashed to the floor where he lay deathly still.

"GATES!" the sergeant wailed as she abandoned her position in the pilot's chair and knelt down next to her friend's motionless form and meticulously inspecting him for the damage that he suffered.

"Lacey, what happened!? Why did we stop moving!?" Ashanti shouted nervously as she began firing at approaching Atlesian soldiers and knocked down a few with a flurry of bullets while Wilma hissed when some bullets flew through the gaps of the glass and impacted the wall next to her head.

"Gates got hurt really bad so our mission just got a lot harder!" Lacey yelled into the walkie talkie as she gently propped her friend on a wall off to the side so no stray bullets would hit him causing him to groan while Wilma gnashed her teeth together and gripped the handles of the turret tightly upon hearing this.

The reindeer faunus was briefly taken aback as the aircraft began moving across the ground at a far quicker pace than last time which was good, but her blood ran cold when she saw that the bulk of the tin men's forces diverted itself from fending off the chainsaw commando's forward assault and instead focused their attention on them.

"Uhh...Lacey? I think the tin men caught on to what our plan was," Wilma pointed out causing the sergeant to snarl over the walkie talkie and slowly increased the speed of the air ship once again as what seemed to be a whole horde of soldiers fired at the compartment's the reindeer and zebra faunus were in.

"Ugh! Just go away already!" Ashanti roared as she let held down the triggers as hard as she could and knocked down some approaching soldiers while averting her fire away from those dragging their wounded into cover, but that left a whole lot of other tin men stoically marching forward while firing at the chamber she was in.

"Augh! Lacey, can we please go faster?" Wilma asked as politely as she could while letting out a whimper when a bullet whizzed through the gap in her chamber and grazed her arm causing blood to splay across the walls like paint.

Gritting her teeth, Wilma leaned to the side a bit to provide some cover for her body while keeping one hand on her wounded arm while using the other one to maintain suppression fire on the approaching soldiers which did little to stem the tide of battle.

"Don't worry guys; the warehouse is just up ahead!" Lacey assured the remaining members of her team causing Wilma and Ashanti to mentally sigh in relief as they continued to fire at the swam of soldiers fearlessly marching towards them.

The reindeer faunus gasped and tightened her grip on the handle so she wouldn't be flung off to the side when she felt the sergeant suddenly turn the giant airship around and began backing it up. Ashanti, however, gasped and put her hands against the glass to prevent her head hitting against it when she felt the air ship suddenly crash into something causing the zebra faunus to irritably sigh as she continued to bombard the soldiers. Feeling the airship lurch forward a bit and then quickly back up made Wilma's head spin and wondered what the sergeant was doing, but trusted whatever Lacey was trying to do.

"Alright...almost...ugh! Just one more push!" Wilma heard the sergeant say over the walkie talkies while the aircraft once again moved forward a bit before crashing into something from behind causing the reindeer faunus to raise a brow a bit only to let out an agonizing wail as a bullet firmly embedded itself into one of her antlers.

Violently trembling and feeling her world spin, Wilma tentatively reached for her injury and felt warm, sticky blood smear across her hand causing the reindeer faunus to let out a frantic breathe before she felt her body get deathly cold. The last thing she saw before slumping down on the handles of the turret was more bullets flying her way like heavy rainfall and the only indication she was still alive was the rising and falling of her chest.

* * *

"Alright, got it! We're through!" Lacey yelled over the walkie talkie as after ducking beneath bullets flying her way, the sergeant finally managed to back the passenger area of the airship through part of the wall of the warehouse and then ensured the aircraft would stay in place while the team took their plunder.

"Wilma, let's get the dust and get out of here! I saw a place on the map where we can hide out for a bit until the air bus can pick us up! Wilma, can you hear me?" Ashanti asked concernedly as she climbed up the ladder and then sprinted as fast as her legs could carry her to the compartment her friend was in and saw, to her horror, her friend breathing slowly while lying face down on the turret handles with blood slowly dripping down onto a puddle on the floor.

"No...please no," Ashanti mumbled as she quickly placed her rifles on the ground so they wouldn't get in the way and climbed down the ladder while doing her best to ignore the barrage of bullets now focused on her as she carefully hoisted the unconscious reindeer faunus over her shoulder with ease.

Scaling the ladder, the zebra faunus saw Lacey kneeling down next to the opening to the compartment with her hand extended causing Ashanti to descend down the ladder a bit in order to make lifting Wilma through the small opening easier.

"I got you," Lacey assured her blacked out friend while securing a strong grip around Wilma's arm and waist as she tugged her through the entrance to the turret causing the sergeant to let out a quick yelp as she suddenly found herself on her back with her inert friend on top of her.

"Grab Gates and let's get the dust out of here!" Ashanti shouted as she put her weapons back on her shoulders and then lifted up Wilma into her arms bridal style before running down the ramp of the airship causing the sergeant to nod and scurry to her feet in order to get to Gates.

Kneeling down next to her friend, Lacey put one of Gate's arms around her neck and gripped the area underneath his armpits before standing up and jogging down the ramp to see Wilma propped up against the wall while Ashanti shot one of the cargo containers open with her rifle.

"Okay Lacey, what are we going to do about the tin men death squad literally right outside the door?" the zebra faunus asked her friend while riddling holes into the edges of another cargo container that caused part of the door to fall off while Lacey set Gates against the wall next to Wilma and put a hand on her chin.

"I...think I have an idea," Lacey responded as she took out her walkie talkie and fiddled with it for a bit before holding it up to her mouth and speaking into the device.

"Lieutenant, my team and I are pinned down in a warehouse with all the dust by a whole lot of tin men so we need you and your men to push the forward assault into the base," Lacey requested politely as the sound of a pained scream and the revving of a chainsaw could be heard on the other line causing Ashanti to cringe.

"You're lucky that raiding the armory is a secondary objective," the lieutenant barked at the sergeant who maintained her composure while switching the device off just as the sickening, squelching sound of sharp, metal teeth cleaving through what sounded like flesh could be heard by the duo.

"Okay, that solves that problem, but we still need a way to get Wilma and Gates out of here safely along with all this dust," Ashanti stated while prying open another cargo container door by using her sword as improvised crowbar which broke the blade in half, but did manage to jam the door open a bit causing the zebra faunus to snarl.

"Ugh, that's it!" Ashanti roared as she took a step back and with all the strength and fury she could muster, kicked the bent edge of the cargo container door which sent it flying off its hinges and skidding across the floor with an ear wrenching screech.

Lacey recoiled and did a double take on what she saw before her eyes widened and held up her index finger while bouncing on her toes a bit.

"Oh, oh, I know what we should do! We need to knock down all the cargo container doors, blasts some holes in them like a three hole puncher, and then use something to tie them together!" the sergeant explained causing Ashanti's eyes to widen like saucers before she shook her head and narrowed her eyes at her friend before groaning and shooting off another door.

Nodding, Lacey took out her own rifle and began shooting off the hinges of the cargo container doors in tandem with Ashanti before they finally managed to knock them all down and were left with eight cargo container doors lying around the floor.

"I'll get the doors together, you go find something to tie these together," Ashanti said while putting her foot on a downed door and giving it a strong kick causing it to slide across the floor where it collided with another one.

Ashanti saw Lacey nod and scurry off to find the binding while the zebra faunus quickly went to work aligning the doors together in a large square as to her relief, the soldiers outside were no longer focusing on them and instead focused on the lieutenant's forward assault. After managing to get the doors together, Ashanti frowned and put a hand on her chin as she examined the makeshift pallet intently before she let out a growl and turned her head to Lacey who was jogging back to her with her arms full of chains.

"It's not going to be big enough, Lacey," Ashanti pointed out causing the sergeant to bit down on her lip as they both suddenly heard a door up on the walkway being slammed open causing Lacey to look at the zebra faunus and gesture at their injured comrades.

Nodding, Ashanti rushed over to Wilma and Gates and grabbed both of their wrists before dragging them behind the shipping containers before she took out her own rifle and jogged next to Lacey just as a squad of soldiers sprinted onto the walkway. Before Ashanti could even level her rifle, Lacey had already fired upon the tin men causing one soldier to stagger back and slam his spine into the railing while another one grabbed her gut and doubled over causing Ashanti's jaw to drop.

"Don't just stand there, help me!" Lacey yelled causing the zebra faunus to shake herself out of the stupor and began firing in the direction of the soldiers causing some to shield their faces with their forearms, but most of the bullets she had fired missed their mark.

Lacey, on the other hand, managed to recall the training she had subjected herself to in order to become a huntsman and although her skills from that time had dulled, she managed to hit her target more often than not causing more tin men to slump to the ground while clutching their shoulder or sternum. However, just as the ex-huntsman to be was getting in the zone, she heard the infamous click of her rifle causing her to curse which her enemies took note of as one soldier in particular aimed her rifle at the sergeant and fired.

Lacey wailed and fell to the ground while clutching her combat boot where her big toe was causing Ashanti to quickly turn her head and run over to the sergeant before tugging her towards the crates while the tin men continued to fire at the duo.

"That's for my friend, you bitch!" the soldier in question shouted while switching her line of fire to Ashanti who bobbed and weaved as best as she could while dragging another one of her comrades behind cover.

Ashanti winced when a bullet grazed her thigh, but paid it no mind as she managed to get Lacey behind the shipping containers with their unconscious comrades as Lacey took off her sock and combat boot to inspect the damage while the zebra faunus resumed firing back at their enemies.

"Ahh...that's not good," Lacey remarked as she saw that her big toe and the toe next to it where black and blue causing the sergeant to let out a sigh and put her sock back on as Ashanti too heard her rifle click.

Cursing, the zebra faunus ducked back into cover as a bullet whizzed by where her head once was and bounced off the ground near Lacey's leg causing the sergeant to jolt as she put her combat boot back on while taking out her sword and handing the zebra faunus some clips of Gates's ammo.

"Ashanti, I'll cover you," Lacey told her friend causing the zebra faunus to raise a brow before having to bite back an obscene curse as a bullet grazed her arm.

Taking a deep breathe in and letting it back out, Ashanti loaded a clip into her rifle causing the sergeant to place a hand on the large container and slowly climb to her feet before facing forward. Forcing most of her weight onto her other foot, Lacey limped out of cover with Ashanti slowly following behind as the sergeant placed the flat of the blade against her palm and held it up to her face which stopped a barrage of bullets dead in its tracks. The tin men were briefly taken aback by this as their projectiles harmlessly dropped to the ground before they resumed their assault while Lacey batted away bullets with the flat of the blade or held it up to head level to impede some trying to get to Ashanti.

Some bullets did pass by the sergeant despite her best efforts as Ashanti recoiled when the occasional bullet came too close for comfort and either flew past her head or hit the ground next to her foot, but she did her best to tune it out as she blasted a fiery hole into the cargo container door. Ashanti cautiously moved around the makeshift pallet while shooting more holes into the doors while Lacey awkwardly moved in order to keep herself in front of her as a bullet slammed into her knee. Luckily for the sergeant, the last of her aura absorbed the impact although Lacey still winced from the blow, but managed to stay on her feet as she kept the bullets away from Ashanti as best she could in her current condition.

"It's done!" Ashanti bellowed causing the sergeant to nod as she gestured towards some crates while limping towards it causing the zebra faunus to sprint and tackle Lacey behind them just as a storm of bullets hit the ground where the sergeant once was and caused a miniature, fiery explosion.

"Lacey, were out of ammo and we can't take these guys on in close combat so we need a miracle here," Ashanti stated just as a fire dust bullet impacted the crates the duo was hiding behind and blew up causing the remaining members of the team to go flying back and skidding across the floor before they forcefully hit their heads against the wall.

Ashanti let out a groan as she got up and held the sergeant close to her chest before running behind a cargo container as bullets continued to rain down on them before the zebra faunus gently sat Lacey down before taking a knee.

"Well...we're not completely out of ammo," Lacey reiterated while gesturing towards Ashanti's muzzle loading rifle causing the zebra faunus to scowl, but nonetheless stood up while offering her hand to the sergeant who crawled over to where Gates was and took his muzzle loading rifle along with some of his cartridges.

"Alright, instead of firing at the soldiers, fire at the area near them so that way they can't dodge it and we might hit some of their friends," Lacey recommended while clutching Ashanti's hand and getting to her feet with her friend's help before pointing towards the side of one cargo container causing Ashanti crouch down and creep over to it.

Lacey, on the other hand, hobbled over to the other side while suppressing a hiss as she tried not to force her weight down onto her two main toes before she crouched down a little as Ashanti bit down on the paper cartridge. True to Gates's analysis of the obsolete rifle, the gun took an ungodly amount of time to load a shot as the zebra faunus had to pour some of the powder down the barrel and the rest into a pan near the trigger before sealing the pan up like a door. Ashanti then had to drop the bullet down the muzzle where it got stuck on the way down even with the zebra faunus trying to push it down with the ramrod while Lacey was already primed to fire with her musket.

"Just a sec..." Ashanti trailed off as she finally managed to get the bullet down and pulled the hammer back before looking at the sergeant who was holding part of her sword out of cover while looking at the flat side of the blade intently.

"We'll fire on my mark," Lacey said softly just as a few AK-130s joined their cohorts and were taking the time to analyze who they were firing at exactly causing the zebra faunus to curse and tightly grip the butt of her rifle.

"Now!" Lacey shouted causing Ashanti to snap out of cover and fire her rifle, but to her dismay she saw her round shot go off course and hit to the right of where she wanted it to, but it still managed to knock some tin men and their robots off of their feet.

The other soldiers didn't get a chance to process what had just happened as immediately afterwards a conical bullet impacted one of the support beams which threw some of the androids and soldiers off to the side where they landed on their arms leaving only a few of the soldiers and their robots left. After loading another musket ball, Ashanti peeked out of cover a bit and saw that all of the AK-130s were focusing entirely on Lacey's position causing the zebra faunus to raise a brow before firing at the damaged support beam.

Once again, Ashanti's shot went wide and hit the wall next to the support beam which made some of the soldiers stagger forward, but were otherwise still capable of fighting. An accurate shot from Lacey finally brought the support beam down and caused the soldiers and androids to crash to the ground with a thud leaving the soldiers in a barely conscious state, but were otherwise still alive. The AK-130s, on the other hand, slowly got back up and slipped their red visors over their face that shone through the dust cloud the impact of the walkway hitting the ground caused causing both Ashanti and Lacey to balk.

" _ **INTRUDERS HAVE 15 SECONDS TO SURRENDER OR LETHAL FORCE WILL BE UTILIZED,"**_ the battle droid boomed as it along with its remaining brethren transformed parts of its arm into a mini-gun and pointed it at the two faunus causing Lacey to fire one last shot from her rifle that tore apart some of the androids, but left others still standing.

" _ **LETHAL FORCE WILL NOW BE UTILIZED,"**_ the lead bot of the androids stated before a round shot from a musket impacted the ground in front of them causing a miniature explosion which turned them into a pile of scrap causing Ashanti and Lacey to jolt and look in the direction of where the shot came from where they saw Gates leaning most of his body on the side of the shipping container while clutching Wilma's muzzle loading rifle.

Ashanti put her rifle over her shoulder and began to jog over to her friend in order to check up on him before she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked at the sergeant blankly.

"I'll check up on Gates; you take away all the guns the tin men used so they don't use them against us when they wake up," Lacey suggested causing the zebra faunus to nod and jogged over to where the groaning tin men were and chose four random rifles that were lying some ways from the soldiers and slid three rifles along with some clips over to her friends.

Picking one up from an unconscious soldier's hands, Ashanti aimed it up at the roof and ran her fingers over the grip before shrugging and placing the rifle over her shoulder and taking some ammo clips with her. Ashanti would then go around destroying the rest of the rifles by stomping down on them and shattering them like glass while grabbing as much ammo as she could for her friends and herself before deciding she had enough as she began to walk over to them just as something firmly grabbed her ankle. Gasping, Ashanti looked down and found the solider who shot Lacey in her toes gripping her ankle while hatefully glaring up at the zebra faunus with her teeth clenched.

"You fucking bastards...there's good faunus fighting for equality the right way and then shits like you set all their hard work back to square one," the soldier growled angrily as she continued to keep her grasp on Ashanti's ankle who opened her mouth to say something, but quickly closed it and looked away from the tin man.

"...You're right," Ashanti conceded as she gently shook her ankle free and knelt down to take the soldier's walkie talkie away before deciding to confiscate the other soldier's walkie talkies while the angry Atlesian soldier glowered at her the whole time.

Smashing all of the walkie talkies save for one into an recognizable pile of scrap, Ashanti began to walk over to her group just as she found Lacey finishing up tying the cargo container doors together with the chains before limping inside a cargo container and began piling the dust on the pallet. Handing Lacey the radio, Ashanti helped her friend and although they were forced to use the walls of the shipping container for extra space in the pallet, they managed to pile all the dust onto the makeshift pallet while Lacey hopped up the mountain of dust like a squirrel and began tying it down with chains.

"C'mon Wilma, up you go," Ashanti whispered to her unconscious friend and gently lowered her down against the pile before tying a chain around her waist like a seat belt causing the reindeer faunus to moan while Lacey set Gates down near Wilma while handing him some ammo clips Ashanti stole.

"Ready?" Lacey asked her friend who nodded and loaded a clip into the rifle she confiscated before aiming at the wall causing the sergeant to open fire at the wall with water dust rounds while Ashanti used lightning dust to batter the wall.

Slowly, but surely, their bombardment blew a giant hole in the wall big enough for the humongous pile of dust and the pallet to fit through causing Ashanti to put the safety back on her new rifle and take out her old one and load a clip into it. Going to the front of the makeshift pallet she grabbed a length of chain while aiming her old, boxy rifle out into the open while Lacey took out her walkie talkie and spoke into the device.

"Lieutenant, we have the dust. We're going to a hiding spot Private Ashanti suggested so the air bus can pick us up undetected," Lacey stated while doing her best to ignore the horrible cracking sound she heard on the other line just as the chainsaw commando began to speak.

"Guess you and your unit aren't as useless as we thought. Very well, my men and I are pulling back and rest assured sister, Adam will be very pleased to hear this," the chainsaw commando said in a gruff, but somewhat amiable tone causing the sergeant to voice her affirmative before stepping in front of the pallet next to Ashanti and grabbing a length of chain.

"Well...lead the way," Lacey said tiredly causing the zebra faunus to look at the angry Atlesian soldier with her eyes downcast before nodding slowly as she began tugging the pallet to the spot she saw on the map with Lacey's help while doing her best to tune out the cursing the soldier was shouting her way.


	8. Chapter 8 Hardship

Ch.8

Hardship

 _RWBY is the property of its respective owners_

For what seemed like an eternity, Ashanti and Lacey dragged the makeshift pallet carrying the large amounts of dust the benefactor needed behind them in dead silence as the duo along with Gates kept their rifles trained on their surroundings just in case any stray Grimm were attracted to the lingering effects of the ambush.

"Agh...not much farther," Ashanti hissed while putting a hand to her chest and shutting her eyes tightly before trudging onward while Lacey bit back a curse when she accidentally forced too much weight on her toe.

"Good; the sooner we can stop lugging this thing, the sooner we can treat Wilma's wounds. And by the looks of things, we could all use some rest," Lacey remarked causing Ashanti to grin slightly before her body flared up in pain causing the zebra faunus to collapse onto her knee causing Lacey's eyes to widen and kneel down next to her friend.

"I'm fine...I'm fine...just give me a sec," Ashanti breathed out while gritting her teeth causing Lacey to put a hand on her friend's back and massage it before letting out a gasp when the zebra let out a pained cough and spat a glob of blood on the grass.

"That's it; you're in no condition to pull this thing. You're going to go sit down on the pallet while I drag you guys and the shit ton of dust to this area you found on the map," Lacey ordered softly while guiding Ashanti over to where Gates and Wilma were sitting causing the zebra faunus to resist and vigorously shake her head.

"No, Lacey, please! I can hel-"

"Ashanti, I appreciate the offer, but right now you'd be more of a hindrance than a help. You can still help me by guiding me to that spot you found on the map, okay?" Lacey gently, but firmly assured her friend causing Ashanti to huff and clench her fist tightly before giving a reluctant nod and allowing the sergeant to sit her down next to Gates who put a hand on her shoulder.

"Alright, just tell me where to go," Lacey stated softly while grasping both sets of chains and putting them over her shoulders causing Ashanti to put a hand on her gut and sit up a little before sucking in a breathe.

"You're going to make a left coming up and that should lead to a clearing near a river with lots of trees," Ashanti advised causing Lacey to nod and scan the area in front of her with her before letting out a grunt and with some strain, began towing both her friends and the tons of dust on the makeshift pallet to area the zebra faunus found.

"Holy..." Ashanti trailed off with wide eyes as she noted how fast the sergeant was tugging them while Gates let out a whistle and shook his head while holding Wilma's shoulder so she wouldn't slump to the side and hurt herself.

"Tell me about it; makes me wonder what woulda happened if Lacey became a huntsman like she wanted and we were still with the White Fang," Gates mused with a raised brow while Ashanti shuddered at the thought and glanced at the reindeer faunus who was breathing slowly causing the zebra faunus to shake her head and look forward.

"Honestly, even if I had become a huntsman, I probably still would have defected to the White Fang. Even though it turned out to be a bad decision, at least I got to meet you and Wilma," Lacey said aloud causing Ashanti to jolt and look around before rubbing the back of her head with a sheepish grin on her face causing the sergeant to chuckle and redouble her efforts to the area on the map.

"It was that bad?" Ashanti asked curiously causing the sergeant to groan and nod her head while letting a furious scowl come to her face upon recalling her training as a huntsman before taking a deep breathe in and letting it back out.

"Yeah, it was; most of the faunus in Mantle barely make enough lien to live and most us can't read to save our lives so the human military officials that just so happened to run the combat school used that against us. I proved my mettle in their recommendation training program, but I got screwed over when they required me to pass a literacy test and pay an entrance fee. I didn't break a sweat with the literacy test, but my family and I couldn't scrape enough money together for the entrance fee," Lacey explained bitterly with her teeth tightly gnashed causing Ashanti balled her hand into a fist and restrained the great urge to slam her fists against the sled lest she hurt herself even more.

"It's similar to Vacuo in a way; you know that unspoken rule people always talk about? Yeah, it's not exactly wrong, but faunus are tolerated, not welcome, if we can survive there. Lost count how many times me and my folks hada defend our caravan from raiders," Gates added causing the Ashanti's blood to boil and tightly gripped her pant leg as Gates sat up a bit and rested his hand against his leg.

"Why'd they target you and your family?" Ashanti asked with held back rage in her voice causing her friend to suck in a breathe and lean his head against one of the crates of dust before starting to speak.

"We, and faunus in general, can't afford as much protection as human caravans and the raiders know that so they target us for quick, easy scores. It doesn't help that most mercenaries charge more for security from faunus so more often than not we have to fend for ourselves when we travel," Gates stated with a shrug causing the zebra faunus to huff and shut her eyes tightly before resting her fists on her knee and glowering at her combat boot.

"That's not fair! Things are already tough for you guys and they have to go and make it harder!?" Ashanti nearly yelled incredulously before calming herself causing Lacey to blankly stare at the zebra faunus and let out a soft sigh as she tugged the makeshift pallet past some trees and stopped in her tracks when she reached the spot on the map Ashanti spoke of.

"Not to sound rude, but how come you're surprised by this? I mean, what happened to Gates and I was jacked up, but it's pretty much another chapter in the big book of faunus discrimination," Lacey inquired causing the zebra faunus to bashfully rub the back of her head and let out a breathe as the sergeant walked over to the sled and slung her backpack over her shoulder while carrying Wilma bridal style.

"Sorry, it's just that Wilma and I spent most of our life in Menagerie so whatever we know about humans discriminating against us is from other faunus in our neighborhood," Ashanti explained as she got up with herculean effort and limped over to the sergeant who gently laid the reindeer faunus down on the grass while Gates climbed to his feet with much strain and walked to where his friends were with an awkward gait.

"Ah, that makes sense. I guess living on an isolated continent your whole life would make you ignorant to the outside world, huh? Um...not to say that your ignorant!" Lacey stuttered while the zebra faunus raised a brow causing the sergeant to sigh as she handed the walkie talkie to Gates who grasped it and fiddled with it before holding it up to his mouth.

"Hey pilot, this is Private Gates of Sergeant Lacey's squad. We got the dust, but things got dicey so we had to hide out in a clearing near a river with plenty of trees...southwest of your position," Gates said and at first there was nothing but static causing the White Fang goon to glance at Lacey who shrugged as she took out a knife with a large, thick blade from her backpack before the radio on the other line came to life.

"Alright, be prepared for extraction in eight minutes and why did I have to hear this from you instead of her?" the pilot responded as the sounds of the air bus taking off could be heard on the other line causing Gates to let out a breathe before holding down the button on the side of the device and speaking into it.

"The sergeant is occupied right now tending to Private Wilma's injuries," Gates replied causing the pilot to grunt and shut off his radio causing the White Fang soldier to sigh as he clipped the walkie talkie to his belt and refocused his attention on his friends.

"W-what are you doing?" Ashanti asked confusedly as Lacey took out disposable towels and gauze from her backpack causing the sergeant to sigh as she held the tip of the blade to the bullet embedded in Wilma's antler with one hand while gripping it with her other one.

"I don't want to risk Wilma getting lead poisoning so I'm going to dig the bullet out," Lacey replied causing Ashanti to gasp and lunge forward where she grasped the sergeant's wrists tightly causing Lacey to calmly stare at the zebra faunus who warily glanced back at her.

"Ashanti, please, I'm trying to help," Lacey reasoned with her friend causing the zebra faunus to glance at the reindeer faunus who groaned in pain and then back at the sergeant who had a pleading look in her eyes causing Ashanti to huff and release her grip on her friend's wrist.

"Thank you," Lacey told her friend who nodded shortly causing the sergeant to nod back and turn her attention back to the reindeer faunus where she gripped her antler and pointed the tip of the knife at the bullet.

"Okay Wilma, I know you can't hear me, but try to relax okay?" Lacey gently whispered to her unconscious friend as she slowly lowered the blade to the squished piece of lead stuck in her friend's antler.

* * *

" _Where am I?"_ Wilma thought tiredly as she felt that she was lying on her back and felt the soft grass on her hands which made her think she was back in the Atlas military outpost, but then why hadn't she been taken prisoner?

A myriad of thoughts ran through her head as all she remembered as getting shot in her antler, feeling all the heat in her body leaving her, and then blacking out. Wilma groaned and fidgeted a little as a dreadful thought crossed her mind; was she the only one of her squad left?

" _I guess living on an isolated continent your whole life would make you ignorant to the outside world, huh?"_ a familiar, distant voice mused causing the reindeer faunus to mentally sigh in relief as her eyes weakly fluttered open and through her blurry vision, briefly saw Ashanti and Lacey kneeling over her while Gates sat down near her feet before she blacked out again.

Regaining consciousness, Wilma tiredly opened her eyes and although she saw her friends as blobs of gray and white for a bit, her vision regained clarity and looked to the side only to jolt as she saw Lacey holding a knife to her antler.

"Okay Wilma, I know you can't hear me, but try to relax, okay?" Lacey soothingly mumbled to her friend as she lowered the knife to the piece of lead causing Wilma to muster all the strength she could in her current state and firmly grasp Lacey's wrist with both of her hands.

"I'm awake, I'm awake!" Wilma shrieked causing Ashanti and Lacey to yelp while Gates jolted a bit at his friend's sudden outburst before calming himself as Lacey breathed out a sigh of relief and dropped the knife to the ground.

"Thank goodness," Lacey breathed out as she wrapped her friend up in a hug causing Wilma to hiss in pain before smiling and returning the hug while another tight, affectionate hug from Ashanti made the reindeer faunus gasp before she wrapped an arm around her Ashanti's waist.

"Glad to see...you're doing okay," Gates managed to get out between pained breathes as he slowly knelt down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder causing the reindeer faunus to glance at him and smile with a wince causing Gates to break out into a grin.

"Don't you ever worry me like that again," Ashanti growled while letting tears freely steam down her face causing the reindeer faunus to let out a soft sigh and hug the zebra faunus tighter despite her body flaring up in pain in protest of this action.

"I'm sorry, I'll try," Wilma mumbled reassuringly to her friend who shut her eyes tightly and buried her face in Wilma's shoulder before nodding and breaking off her hug while Lacey relinquished her grip on the reindeer faunus and grasped her arm.

"Alright, let's sit you up," Lacey said while gently tugging on Wilma's arm and pulling her into a sitting position causing the reindeer faunus to hiss and put a hand on her friend's shoulder to stabilize herself.

"Agh...did...did we get the dust?" Wilma inquired while biting down on her lip as Ashanti and Gates grasped her other arm and helped her turn her body to the side so she could sit down while the sergeant broke out into a wide grin upon hearing her friend's question.

"See for yourself," Lacey replied while gesturing with her head off to the side causing Wilma to slowly turn her head and widen her eyes when she saw the humongous pile of dust tied down by strong chains on what appeared to be a giant sled.

"Wow..." was all the reindeer faunus could say while never taking her eyes off of the haul her friends made off with causing Ashanti to slowly sit down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder as Lacey grasped the knife and looked at Wilma.

"May I?" the sergeant politely requested while pointing at the bullet still stuck in her friend's antler causing Wilma to tentatively touch her wound before looking at Lacey and nodding hesitantly causing the former huntsman-to-be to scoot closer to Wilma.

"Please be careful," the reindeer faunus asked while tilting her head closer to the sergeant who sucked in a breathe and let it back out before bringing the blade up to bear and placing the tip of the blade against the side of the bullet.

"I will," Lacey responded softly as she narrowed her eyes and gripped her friend's antler for balance before taking in another breathe and as quick as a flash, dislodged the bullet using the tip of the knife like a crowbar.

Before the reindeer faunus could even react, Lacey was already pressing one of the disposable towels against Wilma's wound where it quickly became blotted with blood causing the sergeant to discard the bloodied towel. Lacey quickly pressed down on Wilma's injury once again with the other disposable towel and although the towel had a splotch of blood on it, the bleeding had stopped causing Lacey to let out a sigh of relief.

"Okay, there you go. Better than new," Lacey assured her friend with a tired grin as she wrapped some gauze around her friend's antler causing Wilma to chuckle just as a sudden draft of wind pressed down on the squad of four causing them to look up and found the air bus wiggling its way around the trees before touching down in front of the squad.

"Alright, Wilma, Ashanti, Gates, get some rest. I'll take it from here," Lacey commanded her squad who nodded at the order as the reindeer and zebra faunus put their arms around one another and helped each other to the pallet.

Gates put a hand on Ashanti's shoulder while clutching his ribs and walked with his two friends with Ashanti not minding in the slightest as the trio made it to the sled and sat down on it just as the ramp leading up the cargo area in the air bus opened up. Putting the chains over her shoulder, Lacey proceeded to drag her friends and the pallet of dust up the ramp and into the cargo hold while being careful not to put too much pressure on her toe before coming to a stop and letting the chains drop the floor of the cargo hold.

Falling onto a knee, Lacey put a hand on her chest and breathed heavily before she felt a hand on her shoulder and saw Gates standing over her concernedly before he offered a hand to his friend. Taking his hand, the sergeant felt herself being pulled to her feet where she smiled at her friend in thanks who nodded at her as Wilma and Ashanti sat down next to each other against the wall of the air bus as the intercom came to life.

"Adam, I managed to extract the dust and Sergeant Lacey's squad and we're headed back to base now. Eta 1 hour, 30 minutes," Wilma could barely heard the pilot say over the intercom as he inner workings of the engine and the deafening rotations of the rotors made the reindeer faunus cover her ears while Lacey strangely had a hand on her chin.

"Good, get back here immediately because I want to have a word with Sergeant Lacey about following the letter, not the spirit of the orders I gave her," the squad of four heard the White Fang icon growl through the intercom causing Wilma to gulp and despairingly glance at Ashanti who winced and looked down at the floor before looking back at her and then at the sergeant who narrowed her eyes at what the faunus folk hero said.

"Sounds like are leader...isn't very happy with you," Gates mused while putting a hand on the wall to balance himself while Lacey put a hand on her hip and gave a short nod at what her friend said before sitting down across from Wilma and Ashanti while Gates mimicked this gesture.

"When is Adam ever happy? Adam's emoness isn't important though; what is though is that we stay here in the cargo hold so that whatever we say will be distorted by the engine and rotors," Lacey stated cleverly though she had to scoot closer to her friends to the point where she was nearly in their face so that her voice could be heard.

"Okay, what did you want to talk about?" Wilma asked her friend curiously while briefly glancing at Ashanti who looked back at her before staring at Lacey and Gates as the sergeant sat up straight and put her hands on her legs before starting to speak.

"I want to talk about why we think the White Fang, or rather the benefactor, wants the railways cleared of rocks so bad. So far, Wilma's theory about transporting supplies to the other bases in Vale seems the most likely, but let's not discount my super soldier theory just yet," Lacey mused causing Gates and Ashanti to roll their eyes while Wilma sucked in a breathe and sat up against the wall.

"Lace, I don't think that the benefactor had us steal all this dust just so they could dump all of it into one person," Gates replied while rubbing his forehead causing the sergeant to huff and narrow her eyes at her friend who put a hand on his knee and sat up a little.

"Well, that's you think, but hear me out. You know that during the Great War era that sometimes people would infuse themselves with dust, right? Well, we all know that anyone would die from having this much dust in their body so using just one guy is out of the question, but if you gather a large pool of volunteers, you could infuse them with these power crystals and you'd have an army of element wielding soldiers at your side," Lacey retorted with a bit of haughtiness causing Gates to raise a brow and nod at the plausible theory while Ashanti snorted and Wilma raised a brow.

"People would stick dust in their bodies?" the reindeer faunus asked while touching her chest causing the sergeant to turn her attention to Wilma and giving a terse nod at what her friend said before letting out a breathe and putting a hand on her thigh.

"How do you not know...lived on Menagerie her whole life, right. Oh yeah, they would, but the chances of it working successfully were five out of ten, and even then some users thought they heard their campfire singing to them or the trees whistling after the fact," Lacey explained causing Wilma's eyes to widen and rub the back of her head before Ashanti cleared her throat causing all of her friends to turn their attention to the zebra faunus.

"Look, this history lesson is interesting and I'd actually like to hear more about it later, but we really should get back to spitballing about what the benefactor plans to do," Ashanti reminded the duo causing Lacey to thump her head and nod at what her friend said before glancing at Gates who was busy scratching his nose, but gave his attention to Lacey when he saw her eyes on him.

"Right, sorry. Gates, you had an idea on what the benefactor plans to do and I'd very much like to hear it," Lacey calmly informed her friend causing Gates to nod slowly and suck in a breathe before sitting up straight and starting to speak.

"Okay then...if ya ask me, I'd say that the benefactor is planning to blow something up," Gates hesitantly answered causing a dreadful change in the mood with Wilma widening her eyes and glancing at Ashanti looked back at her anxiously before they both stared at Lacey who narrowed her eyes and looked at the floor.

"W-what makes you say that?" Wilma stuttered fearfully causing Gates to let out a deep sigh and point at the sergeant's backpack causing Lacey to hand it over to him where the White Fang goon rummaged through it and took out Lacey's map of Vale.

"Well, when the council decided to trap everyone underneath Mountain Glenn, they cut off transport to the other villages, but they didn't intend to make a dead end that leads directly to the heart of Vale," Gates began while jabbing his finger to the dead end he spoke of on the map causing Lacey to nod intently and scoot closer while Ashanti leaned forward and put both of her hands on her legs while Wilma hesitantly leaned forward to get a better look.

"That...that makes sense! It wouldn't matter how much rocks we grunts clear from the rails; the trains only have one place to go and it's that dead end!" Lacey nearly yelled, but kept her down just in case the pilot was trying to listen in on their conversation and the engines and the rotors didn't drown out her voice like she had assumed.

"I'm no expert, but wouldn't this much dust cause a big explosion?" Ashanti inquired while looking at the surrounding areas in Vale while rubbing her chin causing Lacey to shake her head while Wilma stared at the map with befuddlement.

"No physical force doesn't cause dust to explode; you'd need some kind of bomb to set them all off. However, when all that dust does blow up, you could easily level a city block so when those trains get the dead end...no..." Lacey realized as she felt her blood go ice cold and breathed heavily causing Wilma to wrap her arms tightly around her friend while Gates nodded solemnly and Ashanti gritted her teeth.

"The benefactor is going to blow a hole into the heart of Vale...and release thousands of starved grimm into the city," Lacey said in a tone that was barely above a whisper and hugged the reindeer faunus tightly for comfort while Gates sucked in some air and let it back out while Ashanti frantically surveyed areas on the map.

"What do you mean by "starved" grimm?" Wilma inquired as a part of her didn't want to know the answer as Lacey rested her head against Wilma's shoulder sucked in a panicked breathe before letting it out and beginning to speak.

"For Grimm, killing is like food and the ones trapped in the tunnels were deprived of their food for years so if the benefactor does intend to breach into the heart of Vale, they're essentially unleashing a swarm of Grimm who will kill anyone it sees in order to finally eat," Lacey elaborated causing Wilma to hug the sergeant harder, but not enough to hurt her causing Lacey to give a false smile with tears running down her face causing the reindeer faunus to concernedly look at her friend.

"Guess this disproves our theories, huh?" Lacey tried to jest with her fake smile before shutting her eyes tightly and gritting her teeth causing Wilma to slowly rub her back before the sergeant hugged her friend and wiped away her tears with her forearm and gently breaking off their hug.

"Okay guys, listen up! Gates's idea seems to be the correct one so we'll have to do everything in our power to disable that subway and if we can't do that, then...then we'll have to take a big risk and tell Lisa Lavender everything we know about the White Fang even if it means the White Fang and the benefactor's lackeys come after us," Lacey commanded authoritatively causing Gates and Ashanti to jolt and give the sergeant their full attention while the reindeer faunus tilted her head, but said nothing as of yet.

"How would telling the news chick anything be any help?" Gates pointed out skeptically causing Lacey to turn her gaze to her friend who blankly stared back at her before the sergeant let out a snort and narrowed her eyes.

"Because even if she doesn't believe any of our theories, then at least the public would know all the White Fang's little secrets which means that no faunus would ever want to volunteer as a member ever again which would take away their much needed manpower and it would leave the entire organization with nowhere to hide which would make it easier for their enemies like the huntsman and Atlesian military to find them," Lacey retorted with a huff causing Gates to hold up his hands while Ashanti scoffed and folded her arms causing the sergeant to glance at her friend who cautiously gazed at Lacey.

"I thought you hated humans so why go through all this trouble to help them?" Ashanti asked warily causing the sergeant to huff and fold her arms causing Wilma to look back and forth between her two friends who didn't back down in their stare off.

"I don't hate humans, I dislike them, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stand by and watched them be slaughtered by crazed Grimm. And in case you didn't know, Vale has a faunus population too so me not doing anything to help is not only dooming the humans, but the faunus living in Vale too," Lacey retaliated sternly causing Ashanti's eyes to widen before she stared down at the floor and nodded meekly causing Wilma to put an assuring hand on Ashanti's shoulder.

Grinning slightly, Ashanti nodded gratefully at her friend who smiled and nodded back as the zebra faunus gently brushed her friend's hand off her shoulder and sat up once again while Wilma glanced at Lacey who looked back at her.

"I...think we should go tell the press everything anyway if it will help," Wilma commented softly causing Lacey to put a hand on her chin while Ashanti put a hand on her hip and shook her head before putting a hand on Wilma's shoulder.

"That's our last resort, Wilma. Like Lacey said, we only go to the press if we can't disable the trains because if we run and tell them now, the benefactor's attack dogs are going to come after us and excuse my language, we don't stand a snowball's chance in Hell against them," Ashanti reiterated causing Wilma to glance off to the side while Gates nodded in approval while Lacey shook her head and put a hand on her leg.

"Well, maybe it doesn't have to be our last resort. You guys know I trained to be a huntsman so if I modify the training I went through to suit each of your talents we might stand a better chance against our enemies if they decide to come after us early," the sergeant suggested causing Wilma, Ashanti, and Gates to look at one another uncertainly before the reindeer faunus nodded causing both of her friends to nod back as they switched their gazes to Lacey.

"Okay Lacey, we'll do everything in our power to stop those trains and we'll go to the press and tell them everything we know even if it means we'll be enemies of the benefactor and the White Fang," Gates responded firmly while Wilma and Ashanti nodded in agreement causing Lacey to smile warmly like the sun on a bright day.

"Thank you, all of you," Lacey replied sincerely as she brushed away a tear with her finger causing Wilma to smile back at her while Ashanti gave the sergeant a sheepish thumbs up while Gates nodded with a slight grin tugging at his lips before the reindeer faunus let out a cough.

"We should...probably get back to our seats so Adam doesn't suspect anything," Wilma pointed out causing Lacey to jolt and look at the time and realize the team of four were ten minutes away from the base causing the sergeant to nod vigorously.

"Everyone, get to your seats on the double!" Lacey ordered frantically as she rolled up the map and stuffed it in her backpack as Ashanti helped Wilma to her feet with a hiss before the duo helped each other up the steps while the sergeant and Gates forced down their pain and aided one another up the stairs.

"Okay, so we have to stop doomsday trains from getting to the dead end and the benefactor, their attack dogs, and the White Fang will be out for our blood once we reveal everything we know to the media. No pressure, right?" Ashanti whispered causing Wilma to chuckle before wincing a bit as the zebra faunus helped her friend sit down before taking a seat herself as Lacey and Gates sat across from the duo.

"At least we have our friends with us," Wilma added quietly causing the zebra faunus to nod with a smile on her face and sit back in her seat while the reindeer faunus allowed herself a grin and leaned back in her chair before taking off her mask.

Looking at it fondly, she traced her hand over it before slipping it back on her face and silently awaiting her squad's arrival to the base.


	9. Ch 9 Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Ch.9

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

 _RWBY is the property of its respective owners_

"Approaching the base now; prepare for landing," the pilot told the squad over the intercom causing Lacey to let out a heavy sigh and sit up with a shake of her head while Wilma, Ashanti, and Gates reluctantly stood up as well.

When the aircraft finally touched down, the reindeer faunus wiped away the sweat on her forehead and sucked in a breathe as she saw the ramp open up revealing Adam, the chainsaw commando, and a cadre of elite White Fang soldiers awaiting them at the bottom.

"For us, Adam? You shouldn't have. No really, you shouldn't have," Ashanti silently remarked causing the reindeer faunus to nudge the zebra faunus with her elbow as Lacey let out a breathe and glanced at her friends before gesturing at the group waiting for them down below.

Nodding, Wilma took her position at Lacey's right while Ashanti stepped into her place at Lacey's left while Gates brought up the rear and upon seeing her team in formation, the sergeant made a ball throwing motion with her hand and walked down the ramp with her squad in tow. Reaching the bottom and coming to a stop in front of Adam and his soldiers, the reindeer faunus and her friends stood at attention and saluted their leader.

"Sergeant Lacey, my...partner and I are pleased to hear that you and your squad have appropriated the dust as ordered," the faunus folk hero began causing the sergeant to nod in acknowledgement and put her hands behind her back while Wilma subtly, or at least in her mind, surveyed the soldiers Adam had brought with him.

"Glad to hear that our work is appreciated sir," was the sergeant's reply causing the folk hero to snort and suddenly step forward causing Wilma and Ashanti to unconsciously step back, but Lacey stood her ground as Adam's gaze was now squarely fixed on her.

"However, I've also received reports that the outpost still stands and at first I didn't know why, but reports from the other commanders informed me that you and your squad spared any tin men that got in your way. You do realize that the White Fang desired to see that outpost destroyed along with retrieving the dust, right?" Adam stated while his clothes glowed crimson causing the sergeant to blankly stare at him while Wilma gulped and shifted her feet a bit while Ashanti balled her hand into a fist before relaxing her hand.

"With all due respect sir, your orders were to retrieve the dust. If you had wanted us to devastate the outpost, you should have informed me of the fact before we started our mission," Lacey responded calmly causing Adam to glower at the sergeant which was evident even behind his mask while Wilma curled her fingers and let out breathe while Ashanti looked down at the ground and clenched her teeth.

"I shouldn't have to tell you that anyone who gets in the way of our noble mission deserves to be killed and because of your weakness, a lot of our comrades ended up getting hurt. So would you care to explain why you did this?" Adam asked Lacey in a low, dangerous tone and before Wilma even knew what her body was doing, she had taken a step forward in order to get in front of Lacey causing Adam to quickly switch his gaze to the White Fang minion with his hand hovering over the hilt of his razor sharp sword.

Ashanti immediately gazed at Wilma with wide eyes and mouthed no while shaking her head as Adam glowered at the White Fang goon and shifted his posture towards her. Biting her lip, Wilma hesitantly stepped back into position with her head lowered causing Lacey to mentally sigh in relief just as the faunus folk hero switched his attention back to her causing the sergeant to suck in a breathe and begin to speak.

"I loathe this saying, but it does answer your question, sir. We were just following orders," Lacey replied coolly causing Gates to resist the urge to throw his hands up into the air in disbelief while Wilma and Ashanti exchanged anxious glances with another before the reindeer faunus looked back and forth between the sergeant and the icon of the White Fang.

"If that's how you want to justify it, then fine, but starting now, you'll have to make your own weapons, ammo, and other supplies yourself without any help from the main base. You and your squad will still receive transport when needed, but that's it," Adam stated in a deathly calm voice causing Lacey to hiss under her breathe before giving a slow nod and a salute in response causing the Crimson Scourge to snort and fold his arms.

"Just so you don't try anything, Adolf, take their pictures with and without their masks and distribute them to the commanders," the bane of humanity ordered causing the chainsaw commando to nod and stalk forward with his scroll in hand causing Wilma, Ashanti, and Lacey to look at one another before the reindeer faunus blankly gazed at Adam's second.

"Smile," Adolf sardonically quipped causing Lacey to scowl while Ashanti rolled her eyes under their masks while both Wilma and Gates stoically looked ahead as the commando snapped a pic with his scroll before bringing the device down.

"Your masks," Adolf tersely stated causing Lacey to clench her fist, but nevertheless slowly brought her hands up and removed her mask while Wilma, Ashanti, and Gates followed suit with the reindeer faunus stealing glances at the sergeant and Gates.

Wilma eyes widened in awe when she saw Lacey's determined black eyes glaring ahead while Gates wary light brown eyes patiently looked forward causing the stout faunus to gulp and mimic what her friends were doing just as the commando took a picture of the squad's faces.

"Leave us; the soldiers I stationed at your outpost have already left and the pilot will drop you off. I'll also be sure to remind the soldiers on base that you care more about the lives of the tin men than the lives of your brothers and sisters," Adam bluntly stated causing Lacey to snort and give a quick salute to her superior before turning around and walking back to the airship without even bothering to see if the folk hero returned the gesture.

Wilma exchanged glances with Ashanti who shrugged before they both reluctantly gazed at the Crimson Scourge and saluted him before following the sergeant with Gates walking beside them with a thoughtful look.

"Whelp, if it wasn't true before, then it is true now; working for the White Fang sucks," Gates remarked quietly causing Ashanti to groan and nod her head while Wilma rubbed her arm and nodded slowly as the trio approached the airbus.

"Tell me about it; if I'd known that those smooth talking White Fang guys on Menagerie were feeding us lies the whole time, then I wouldn't have convinced Wilma that joining them was a good idea," Ashanti muttered guiltily with her head bowed causing Gates to sympathetically glance at his friend and pat her shoulder causing Ashanti to look away until Wilma wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulder.

"I know this turned out to be a bad decision, but I don't blame you, and I never will," Wilma assured her friend causing the zebra faunus to crack a small grin as the trio ascended up the ramp and into the passenger area with the sergeant who was looking at the floor with her arms folded.

"Me and my big mouth, huh? We were basically on our own before, but now it's like we're on an island," Lacey remarked bitterly causing Gates to sit down next to her with a wince and rub her back slowly causing the sergeant to sigh and slump forward as Wilma and Ashanti sat across from the duo.

"Well, that's what you get for not following orders when you're already in hot water," the pilot cut in bluntly causing Ashanti to snort and lean back in her chair while Wilma pursed her lips and rested her hands on her legs while Gates narrowed his eyes.

"I really don't like her," Ashanti whispered to Wilma who glanced at her friend and nodded as the squad saw the ramp close and felt the airbus take off causing the squad to remain silent for the rest of the ride over to their outpost.

* * *

"Well, home sweet home...I guess," Ashanti commented as Wilma looked over her shoulder and saw the airbus flying back to the main base before looking forward as Lacey limped toward the door and opened it while stepping off to the side.

"C'mon, let's get inside. I learned basic first aid in training so I'll treat all of your wounds as best I can," Lacey responded while ignoring Ashanti's jest causing Wilma and Gates to concernedly glance at the sergeant before walking inside the outpost and setting their heavy backpacks against the wall with Ashanti and Lacey following suit.

"Wilma, Gates, I'll treat your injuries first; Ashanti, you watch for any Grimm," Lacey bluntly ordered causing the zebra faunus to jolt and raise a brow before slowly nodding and walking over to an open window with her rifle raised.

"I was expecting to be demoted, but I guess having my entire squad exiled is fair too," Lacey grumbled as she fiddled with her rifle and took her canister of water dust crystals before shutting her eyes tightly and beginning to take deep, slow breathes causing Wilma to raise a brow before Gates put a hand on her shoulder.

Gazing at Gates with her brow raised before glancing back at Lacey, her befuddlement soon turned to awe as the sergeant began to glow with a faint, ethereal light causing the water dust crystals to turn into the element they were based on causing Lacey to let out a tired breathe. Shaking her head, Lacey reached into her backpack and pulled out small plastic bags and poured the water into them before placing them on top of her friend's burn marks.

"Here, take these," Lacey ordered as she held out her hand which contained small pills causing the reindeer faunus and Gates to reach forward and take the pills as Lacey began cleaning and dressing her friends other injuries.

"What was that you just did?" the reindeer faunus inquired curiously while swallowing the pill causing the sergeant to wrap some gauze around Wilma's chest before looking up at her friend tiredly before letting out a sigh and going back to work.

"I used my aura to channel dust in its purest form; it took me a while to learn how to do it because Atlas's military doesn't consider it a necessary skill to use," Lacey replied as she applied some ice to Gates's bruises before wrapping some gauze around it causing Wilma to let out a breathe.

"If you could learn that all by yourself, you would have made a great huntress," Wilma complimented her friend causing the sergeant to finally grin after Adam's harsh order before finishing up tending to Gates and patting him on the shoulder before gesturing with her head at Ashanti.

Nodding, Gates slowly got up and patted the zebra faunus on the shoulder causing Ashanti to look over at him where he pointed over his shoulder at Wilma and Lacey with his thumb causing the zebra faunus to nod and limp over to them. Gates took up Ashanti's position at the open window with his rifle raised and fired off a shot that nicked a beowolf that was getting too curious through it's head causing it to let out a cry and collapse on the ground where it dissolved into black mist.

"Thank you, and Wilma...I need you to lower your pants so I can treat the bruises on your butt," Lacey awkwardly asked with a light blush on her face causing Ashanti's eyes to widen before she harshly narrowed them at the sergeant while the reindeer faunus blushed tomato red, but nevertheless moved to comply with the request before Ashanti's hand stopped her.

"Um, excuse you!? Are trying to sneak a peek at my friend, you pervert!?" Ashanti yelled incredulously while firmly grasping Lacey's shirt collar with both her hands and tugging her close so they were staring at each other eye to eye.

"Ashanti, all I'm trying to do is help Wilma like I did back in the forest, honest!" Lacey responded while holding up her hands causing Ashanti to pull the sergeant closer so their noses were touching while the reindeer faunus put a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Oh, what! Next, you're going to ask me to take off my bra, huh!" Ashanti accused the sergeant who looked off to the side with a blush and rubbed the back of her head before looking back at the zebra faunus and shrugging.

"Well..." Lacey trailed off causing Ashanti's eyes to go as wide as saucers before she harshly glowered at the sergeant before Wilma grasped Ashanti's shoulder tighter causing the burly faunus to snarl, but relinquish her grip on the sergeant.

Taking a moment to collect herself, Lacey sucked in a breathe and grabbed the medical supplies before turning to Wilma who was patiently waiting.

"Okay, you ready?" Lacey asked of the reindeer faunus who nodded and lowered her pants and panties before laying down on her belly causing the sergeant to go to work tending to Wilma's bruises all while Ashanti gave Lacey the stink eye the whole time.

"Guys, thanks for protecting Gates and I," Lacey stated softly as ripped off a piece of gauze from the roll and applied it to a part of Wilma's bruise causing the reindeer faunus to hiss, but grinned tiredly while Ashanti's gaze softened and caused her to let out a breathe.

"Yeah, you guys really had our backs there and I'm not going to forget it," Gates added as he took careful aim with his rifle once more and fired off a shot causing an ursa minor to crumple to the ground with a hole in its neck.

"Well, someone has to do the heavy lifting so it might as well be Wilma and I," Ashanti stated with a smirk as she patted the reindeer faunus on the shoulder causing Wilma to let out a sigh and smile while shaking her head while Lacey chuckled.

"Um, excuse me, but who was the one to drag the pallet of dust the rest of the way? It wasn't you or Gates because you guys were too injured and it wasn't Wilma because she was unconscious. Ooh, I wonder who that leaves?" Lacey countered with her own smirk causing Ashanti to blush profusely and look off to the side causing Wilma to laugh causing Ashanti to glare at the reindeer faunus who covered her mouth with her hands.

"Pfft," Ashanti grumbled and looked off to the side with her arms folded as Lacey finished treating and applying gauze to Wilma's bruises causing the reindeer faunus to pull up her undergarments and pants before picking up her rifle.

"Your turn," Lacey informed the zebra faunus causing Ashanti to groan and turn to face the sergeant before lifting up her shirt and grasping her bra causing Wilma to get up off the floor and walk over to where Gates was.

Positioning herself at a destroyed window next to Gates, the reindeer faunus raised her rifle and saw no Grimm as of yet until she saw a lone boarbatusk scuttle out into the open absentmindedly before just slowly wandering around without any sort of direction. Raising her rifle and closing one of her eyes, Wilma held her breathe and depressed the trigger causing a short burst of bullets to fly from the rifle and graze the creature of Grimm's leg. Startled, the demon looked around frantically for the threat, but couldn't find it while Wilma let out a frustrated sigh and took aim once again before she felt a hand on her shoulder and one underneath her elbow.

"Rest the stock against your weak shoulder and press your cheek against it," Gates advised his friend causing Wilma to nod and follow his instructions and after he made some adjustments, he nodded and looked down at her feet.

"Bring your back foot forward; you want your feet shoulder width apart," Gates continued causing Wilma to do so and felt Gates pushing down on her shoulder a bit causing the reindeer faunus to squat down causing her friend to nod.

"Okay, now take your shot and remember to breathe," Gates told her causing Wilma to look down the sights of her rifle at the creature of Grimm who had resumed walking around without purpose causing her to hold her breathe and press the trigger.

The boarbatusk let out a wail and collapsed on its side with three bullets holes marring its chest before it quickly dissolved into black smoke causing Gates to smile and nod while Wilma jumped with joy until she winced from the action.

"Good job," Gates congratulated her while patting her on the shoulder causing Wilma to scoop him up for hug causing the White Fang goon to go stiff before awkwardly returning the hug before soft chuckles from Ashanti and Lacey caused her to set him down and go back to watching the city through her destroyed window while shifting her feet.

"Ah, they make a cute couple, don't you think, Ashanti?" Lacey teased with a fanged grin as she finished up tending to the zebra faunus who laughed and put a hand on her hip.

"I sure do; you know Wilma, there's some trees you and Gates can..." Ashanti trailed off with a smirk causing the reindeer faunus to blush profusely before a sudden cough from Gates caused the zebra faunus to raise a brow.

"Alright, cut it out you guys," Gates stated tersely causing the zebra faunus to roll her eyes, but nodded and tended to Lacey's wounds while the White Fang goon and the reindeer faunus continued to stand watch over the outpost.

"Where did you learn to shoot?" Wilma suddenly asked him causing Gates to bring his rifle up and scan the area and upon finding no more Grimm, relaxed his grip on the rifle and gazed at his friend.

"My older brother; my dad wanted to teach me, but he was too busy watching over the caravan," was Gates short answer causing the reindeer faunus to nod and do her own scan of the area and found nothing out of the ordinary so she allowed herself to relax and sat on the edge of a chunk of debris.

"Was it hard?" Wilma inquired causing Gates to let out a puff of air from his nose and nod slowly while the reindeer faunus tilted her head and sat up a bit as the White Fang goon sucked in a breathe before starting to speak.

"It was. He taught me that shooting Grimm was okay, but told me that if I'm going to shoot a person, I have to walk in their shoes before I even consider pulling the trigger," Gates explained causing Wilma to shudder and rub her arm before gazing back at Gates who blankly stared back at her while patiently waiting for anything else she might have to say.

"Sounds...morbid," Wilma admitted causing the White Fang goon to nod in agreement and stare up at the ceiling before letting out a breathe and leaning forward.

"Yeah, it is, but...I like it. It stops me from seeing my enemies as just targets to hit and from getting used to the idea of shooting someone," Gates responded as he stood up and walked over to his window once again with his rifle raised while Wilma tilted her head and followed suit until she couldn't hold in her curiosity.

"What do mean by that last part?" Wilma asked before a cough caused her to turn her head and found Ashanti and Lacey walking toward them with the stolen walkie talkie in the sergeant's hand before they sat down on the floor.

"It means that while the action of shooting someone gets easier, the idea of pumping someone full of lead and potentially killing them never does. It's an interesting concept that I wish I learned earlier in life, but anyway, let's see what the tin men are up to," Lacey suggested while turning up the volume on the walkie talkie and then twisting the knob on the device to find the proper channel while Wilma tilted her head before scooting closer to the group.

"Shouldn't we be more interested in what the White Fang is doing?" the reindeer faunus asked causing Lacey to nod and grumbled when all she got was static thus far before gazing at Wilma while simultaneously trying to find the right channel.

"The White Fang will always be our primary enemy, but that doesn't mean we can ignore the tin men or the huntsman. Besides, they might give us some insight on the White Fang or the huntsman we don't yet know about," Lacey explained causing Wilma to nod slowly as Lacey finally found the correct channel and beckoned her friends to be quiet while the squad of four leaned closer to the device.

" _...Should we send an escort for the huntsman scouting Mountain Glenn?"_

" _...Negative, Ironwood wants Ozpin's huntsman to take care of it."_

"No, no, no! Why now!?" Lacey muttered furiously as she gripped her pant leg tightly and gritted her teeth before Gates put a hand on her shoulder causing the sergeant to take a deep breathe in and let it back out before coolly listening in on the conversation.

" _...The mission isn't for another six weeks so we'll send a scouting party ahead to search for any White Fang activity._

" _...You're not following orders, commander."_

" _...I know, son, and it hurts to go behind Ironwood's back like this, but we shouldn't place our trust in children to get the job done."_

"Damn it, it's hard enough dealing with Adam, the benefactor, and their minions," Lacey muttered irritably as she buried her face in her palm and shook her head before looking up again with her hand on her chin and her eyes narrowed.

"Who's Ironwood?" Wilma inquired curiously causing the sergeant's eyes to go wide and opened her mouth to say something before clenching her fist and letting out a breathe.

"General Ironwood is the top dog of both the military and academy in Atlas and he's got a reputation for using overwhelming military force to solve all of his problems," Lacey explained causing Wilma to shudder and rub her arm while Ashanti circled her finger on the floor before putting a hand on her knee and leaning against the wall.

"He's also buddies with the head of the SDC and what Jacques wants like the general turning a blind eye to his faunus slave labor force or implementing policies that make separate public facilities for humans and faunus is what Ironwood'll have to do if he wants his shiny toys," Gates added causing Ashanti to gnash her teeth and ball her hands into her fist while Wilma gripped her pants legs tightly before looking up at Lacey.

"Why would this Jacques guy do that!?" Wilma yelled incredulously before calming herself while Lacey gave an uncertain shrug in response and shook her head.

"I don't know, but I think it's mostly just to protect his business. I guess if the faunus see themselves as equals to humans, they're going to be protesting for equal treatment which means he stands to lose his slave labor force," Lacey pondered causing Ashanti to snarl and smash her knuckles together while Wilma soothingly rubbed her friends back as the zebra faunus rested her forehead in her palm.

"That vile son of a...ugh," Ashanti grumbled furiously while Wilma hugged her friend who wrapped an arm around Wilma's waist as the sergeant reached into her backpack and pulled out the same map from when they were discussing the dust heist.

"I know, it pisses me off too, but let's focus here. We can't risk infiltrating the base and sabotaging the trains so we'll have to rely on Lisa Lavender getting our info out to the public and hopefully the Valean Council, Ozpin, or Ironwood will take measures to deal with the breach," Lacey began causing Gates to snort and sit up a bit while Wilma nodded and rubbed her neck while looking at the map while Ashanti knelt down and studied the breach meticulously.

"Lace, do you really think Ozpin and the council are going to do anything?" Gates inquired causing the former huntsman hopeful to immediately shake her head and jab her finger on a point on the map that showed a rocky, mountainous path that led to Vale.

"Of course not. The council always looks for the quick solutions to their problems which is probably why they brought the bulk of the Atlesian Military in the first place and Ozpin will downplay how potentially bad the breach will be in order not to cause a panic. That's why if we fail to stop those trains, this path will allow us to reach Vale in a short time where we can help with the evacuation...and throw off our allegiance to the White Fang," Lacey responded intellectually causing Wilma to nod and study the path along with the area around it with a raised brow while Ashanti put a hand on her hip and pursed her lips.

"Won't Ironwood basically reduce Mountain Glenn to rubble...well...more rubble, once we tell Lisa where the main base is?" Ashanti questioned causing the sergeant to shake her head and look over the map once more before looking up at the zebra faunus with a hand on her leg.

"No, as much as the council wants the White Fang gone, I doubt even they would let the top tin man firebomb Mountain Glenn into nonexistence because it would hurt their public relations," Lacey replied with a shrug causing Ashanti to nod and go back to studying the map while Wilma scratched the back of her head when she realized she wasn't looking at Vale on the map as she first thought.

"That gives us time to prepare and how we're going to do that is disguise one of our functions as training. Since I promised command we'd keep Grimm clear from the main base, we're going to kill the monsters hours at a time each and every day for six weeks starting tomorrow and maybe by the end of it, we'll stand a better chance against the benefactor's lackeys," Lacey continued causing Wilma and Ashanti to glance at one another uncertainly before looking back at the map while Gates picked up his rifle and walked over to a window with his gun raised.

"What will training be like?" Wilma asked curiously causing the sergeant to tap her chin with her index finger and look up at the ceiling before perking up with a grin on her face.

"We'll split off into groups of two and train for three hours at a time, have an hour break, switch partners, train for three more hours, have another hour break, and then return to base," Lacey answered with a smirk causing Ashanti to groan and slump forward while the reindeer faunus patted her friend on the back.

"Oh boy, this is going to be fun," Ashanti muttered as she picked her head up and sat against the wall while Lacey rolled up the map and stuffed it along with the stolen walkie talkie into her backpack and stood up.

"What about the scouting party the tin men are going to send out?" Wilma inquired causing the sergeant to rub her chin and look down at the ground long and hard before picking her head up and putting a hand on her hip.

"Hopefully, they'll be willing to listen to us, but if they try to take all the information we have, then we'll have to be ready to fight. I expect them to come this following week so let's train extra hard to give them a proper welcome," Lacey replied causing the reindeer faunus to rub her arm while Ashanti scratched the back of her head before they both nodded at what the sergeant said as Lacey picked up her rifle.

"I'll contact Lisa when we've got some training under our belt, but other than that meeting adjourned. Wilma, Ashanti, get some rest; Gates and I will take first watch and I'll let Adam know we're going to eliminate the local pests," the sergeant told her friends causing Wilma to nod eagerly while the zebra faunus let out a sigh of relief and hugged Lacey who returned the gesture before the sergeant broke off the hug and walked over to a window besides Gates with her rifle raised.

"Think we can do this?" Ashanti whispered to her friend as they walked down the hall causing the reindeer faunus to shrug and broke out into a small grin causing the zebra faunus to raise a brow as they turned a corner.

"I don't know, but Lacey sure makes it sound easy," Wilma responded causing the two friends to chuckle softly irregardless of Adam's orders or the rising stakes of their mission.


	10. Chapter 10 Rising Stakes

Ch.10

Rising Stakes

 _RWBY is the property of its respective owners_

"Excuse me, I need to see Professor Ozpin. It's very important," a calm, friendly voice suddenly requested causing the receptionist, who was organizing a stack of papers, to nearly jump out of her chair causing some of the papers to fly out of her hands and gently float down to the ground like feathers.

"Oh, goodie! It's going to be soooo fun reorganizing these papers for eight hours and...oh, General Ironwood! I-I'm sorry, sir. I-I didn't see you there!" the receptionist stuttered nervously with a light blush on her face while giving an awkward laugh causing the tin man to laugh softly and put his hands behind his back as the receptionist composed herself and sat up straight.

"That's quite alright, I'm sorry for giving you such a scare," the general responded coolly with a slight grin on his face causing the receptionist to rapidly wave her hands with a blush still on her face before taking a deep breathe in and letting it back out.

"No, it's fine, general. You don't need to apologize and you can go right up. Professor Ozpin is expecting you," the receptionist stated in a much more professional tone with her hands clasped causing the general to nod and approach the elevator with a slow, powerful stride.

"Thank you," General Irowood responded with the same warm smile on his face causing the receptionist to grin and nod back and when the door to the elevator closed, the general let out a huff and shook his head before wiping away the grin on his face for a stern, focused frown.

" _The White Fang is right at our doorstep and Oz wants to do nothing? No, even he wouldn't so passive when the enemy is right in his face,"_ Ironwood mused and clenched his fists tightly at the thought before relaxing his hands and letting out a soft breathe before straightening his posture as the door to the elevator opened.

"General, please come in. From the message you sent me, it's sounds like we have much to discuss," the esteemed headmaster of Beacon Academy cordially welcomed his old friend who chuckled and stepped into the office where he shook his friends hand and greeted the Glynda who gave a dismissive huff and folded her arms.

"What is it now, James? Knowing you, you probably want to make another grandiose display of military might and you want us to follow your lead," the witch remarked disdainfully causing the tin man to chuckle under his breathe and fiddle with his cuffs before pulling out his scroll and placing it on the headmaster's desk.

"Well, you're not entirely wrong," Ironwood conceded as information pertaining to White Fang troop movement, weapons, and bases appeared on the hologram causing Ozpin to clasp his hands and slightly lean forward while Glynda narrowed her eyes.

"I'll cut to the chase; when the White Fang attacked one of our outposts a few days ago, it set us back a fair margin, but they revealed a critical weakness that we can exploit," Ironwood explained calmly, but quickly while putting his hands behind his back and patiently watched his friends study the info as Ozpin made no outward expression and sat up a bit with his hands still clasped.

"And what weakness would that be, general?" the headmaster inquired causing Ironwood to narrow his eyes and walk over to Ozpin's desk and entered some sort of code into his scroll which brought up a recording of the outpost's attack.

"Technology, Oz; this recording shows that the squad of White Fang troops in charge of stealing the dust from the outpost and some members of the distraction team are still using Great War era tech which confirms my theory that there's not enough modern weaponry for all the White Fang recruits. It's an advantage we should capitalize on and we should start by quashing any presence of the White Fang with extreme prejudice and take away Salem's advantage of manpower," Ironwood explained coolly, but was inwardly ecstatic at the info, but frowned when he saw Ozpin let out a breathe and lean back in his chair while Glynda scoffed and put her hands on her hips.

"And how would you like going about this, James? Should we start firebombing the countryside in the hopes of flushing them out, set up curfews and constantantly watch over all faunus within Vale, or would you like your soldiers busting down doors and arresting suspected White Fang sympathizers?" the witch sharply retorted causing Ozpin to briefly glance at instructor before looking back at the general who rubbed his temple and shook his head before letting out a soft sigh.

"Glynda is right; if we start dropping bombs, the people are going to wonder not if we're winning, but how strong our enemy is if we have to resort to such extreme measures," Ozpin wisely added and promptly took a sip from his mug causing Ironwood to snort quietly and clench his fist before relaxing his hand and fiddling with his scroll which brought up holograms of certain geographical locations around Vale.

"Ozpin, causing a panic will be worth it if we can eliminate one of Salem's strongest allies. Without the White Fang, her operatives won't be able to work out in the open and they'll have to be more cautious meaning all of the kingdoms will get to breathe easier," the general pointed out gruffly and hoped his old friend would see it his way, but to his disappointment the headmaster narrowed his eyes and leaned forward slightly in his chair with his hands clasped.

"They'll also be harder to track down as well, James. Even if the White Fang is out the picture, she still has another army at her disposal that spans the globe and is, I remind you, getting stronger with each passing day. It's to my great displeasure that I've received reports that some huntsman are now struggling against Grimm that should have been easily killed like the Beowolves," Ozpin countered calmly and took another sip from his mug causing Ironwood's lip to twich and resist the urge to bang his fist on the desk and instead turned to the holograms of the geographical locations.

"Maybe so, but we still should do something about the White Fang. My men have already determined the locations of some outposts around the forests in Vale and my troops have secured hideouts they use in the downtown area, it's just that we suspect they may be hiding in Mountain Glenn," the general stated causing Ozpin to remain as calm as ever while Glynda folded her arms and studied the holograms with skeptical eyes.

"And what makes you think that, general?" Ozpin inquired with his eyes slightly narrowed causing the general to let out a guilty sigh and lower his head briefly before picking his head up and straightening his posture.

"A squad of troops attempted to go rogue and scout Mountain Glenn by themselves, but a corporal tipped us off to what they were trying to do and now they're currently being court martialed. In spite of the fact that what they did was wrong, they decided to take action when no one else would and that's what we need to do now. Ozpin...the people are already getting anxious about the fact that the bulk of the Atlesian military is here, but all they seem to be doing is work that's best left to security guards," Ironwood pressed causing the headmaster to raise a brow and calmly stare at the general who looked back at the headmaster with his eyes narrowed while Glynda snorted and adjusted her glasses.

"They're only here because you brought them here, James, which not only tipped off our enemies that we know they're here, but also made fighting them a lot more difficult than it needs to be," Glynda criticized causing the top tin man to blankly gaze at the witch and let out a breathe before staring back at the headmaster who hadn't moved an inch.

"That's enough, Glynda; I believe our friend has a point that soldiers doing menial work is offputting to the people so I'm willing to hear what it is you're trying to propose, general," Ozpin acknowledged casuing the general to grin ever so slightly before it disappeared behind a steely gaze and once again Ironwood typed something into his scroll which brought up a hologram of eight elite Atlesian soldiers.

"Oz, although I can't understand your methods sometimes, I'm...willing to follow your lead which is why I'm suggesting you have the squad of soldiers I'm reccommending accompany the team of huntsman you're planning to send to Mountain Glenn. Oz, trust me; this will alleviate people's fears that my troops are planning on holding the line against some insurmountable enemy," Ironwood requested causing the headmaster to quietly blow into his hands while Glynda huffed and crossed her arms as she glanced at Ozpin.

"Do these soldiers have personal experience with the White Fang and faunus in general?" Ozpin asked coolly causing the general to raise a brow and briefly glance at Glynda who narrowed her eyes before Ironwood cleared his throat and spoke up.

"Oz, these are undoubtedly the finest soldiers Atlas has ever produced-"

"That doesn't answer my question, general. Do these soldiers have any personal experience with the White Fang and the faunus? If they only see the White Fang as targets to eliminate and every faunus as potential White Fang members, then I'm afraid I can't grant your request," Ozpin interrupted the general without missing a beat causing Ironwood to growl under his breathe as the headmaster took a sip of coffee and typed something into Ironwood's scroll.

"How about this soldier, though? Judging from the way she acted when she confronted one of the members of the squad in charge of stealing the dust, she seems to have been offended by the way the White Fang were carrying themselves," Ozpin pointed out causing Ironwood and Glynda to watch as the battered soldier in question pulled herself out of the pile of debris and grasp the ankle of a certain burly faunus with an angry, confused look.

" _You fucking bastards...there's good faunus fighting for equality the right way and then shits like you set all their hard work back to square one,"_ the soldier furiously stated causing Glynda to adjust her glasses and expected the soldier to retort with some sort of tirade of how faunus have been oppressed by humanity and what they were doing was justified, but her eyes widened by the words that came out of the goon's mouth.

" _...You're right,"_ the White Fang thug conceded and slowly shook her ankle free of the soldier's grasp before bending down to confiscate her radio and before the battle instructor could see more of this interesting development, Ozpin suddenly paused the video and calmly stared at the general.

"I'll have to look her up in our database," Ironwood responded warily as he approached Ozpin's desk and quickly typed something into his scroll which brought up a profile of the solider Ozpin was interested in came up causing Glynda to stare the hologram curiously.

"Tai Nguyen, recently turned 25, grew up in Mantle, worked as a maid until she joined the military at seventeen, participates in non-violent protests fighting for equal treatment of faunus, and an outspoken critic of both the SDC and Atlas's policies towards faunus," Ironwood tersely stated causing the headmaster to slightly nod his head and lean back in his chair which didn't go unnoticed by Glynda who raised a brow and glanced at the general.

"You want Tai to be the only soldier I send with your huntsman to scout Mountain Glenn?" Ironwood stated with his eyes narrowed and his back straight causing the headmaster to take a sip of his coffee and set the mug down.

"Almost, but no; if this profile of Mrs. Nguyen is correct, then more of Atlas's soldiers should aspire to be like her. I will allow her to go...if Mrs. Lavender goes as well," Ozpin offered causing the general to narrow his eyes while the witch raised a brow before crossing her arms and gently tapping her shoulder with her riding crop.

"Lisa Lavender, the reporter? Why let her come, Ozpin?" Ironwood skeptically inquired which is something Glynda wanted to know as well, but kept it to herself and simply spared a glance at Ozpin who's expression hadn't wavered.

"Because James, it's like you said. The people are concerned that your troops are doing work best left to security guards and when she see's that you're indeed trying to do something about the situation, she can inform the citizens about the fact along with whatever she discovers in Mountain Glenn to ease people's fears. However, we will have to censor some of the information Mrs. Lavender puts forth like we've done in the past," Ozpin retorted calmly while taking another sip from his mug causing the witch to raise a brow before going back to a stoic expression while Ironwood blankly stared at the headmaster long and hard before letting out a soft sigh.

"Very well, Ozpin," Ironwood relented after a moment had passed before extending his hand to the headmaster of Beacon Academy who slowly stood up and grasped the general's hand before shaking it and calmly retracting his hand.

"I feel there's more to this than you're letting on, James," Glynda stated with a hand on her hip and adjusted her glasses with her other hand causing the general to nod and type something into his scroll which brought up a video of a certain sergeant in the White Fang deflecting bullets fired by the tin men by wielding her blade like it was a knight's longsword.

"The way she fights leaves no doubt in my mind that she either trained at the combat school in Mantle, or she participated in the reccomendation training program. To be frank, I want her apprehended so she can be tried by the Atlesian council so she can't teach or reveal any methods that we use to train future generations of huntsman to the White Fang," Ironwood bluntly explained causing the witch to raise a brow and cross her arms while Ozpin clasped his hands and narrowed his eyes causing the general to rasie a brow.

"This is something Glynda would normally say, but considering how faunus are treated in Atlas, especially ones trying to become soldiers or huntsman, it leaves little doubt in my mind why she would _not_ defect to the White Fang. Yet, you are correct that if she were to teach any soldiers advanced forms of combat, the White Fang might become even more of a threat then they already are," Ozpin replied causing the general to nod and remove his scroll from the desk causing the holograms to dissipate and causing the room to become darken.

"However, I ask that if you do manage to take her into your custody, that you let Glynda and I talk to her to see if we can convince her to join our side. After all, considering that Salem seemingly has agents everywhere on Remnant, it wouldn't hurt to have more allies, right James?" Ozpin stated and took another sip from his mug causing the general to scowl and slowly put his scroll back in his pocket before adjusting his collar.

"Ozpin, I know what you're saying, but what she did...is a serious crime. She betrayed not only me, but every single person in the military and every man, woman, and child in Atlas for joining the White Fang and potentially revealing our training methods to our enemies. _**When**_ I catch her, she'll be brought before the Atlesian council, tried for treason, and be executed by a firing squad," James resolutely stated with an unwavering tone causing the headmaster of Beacon to sigh softly and take a sip from his mug while Glynda scoffed and adjusted her glasses with a frown while thumping her riding crop against her shoulder.

"That's a little extreme, don't you think James?" Glynda pointed out with her eyes narrowed causing the general to glance at the witch and shake his head before stoically glancing at Beacon's battle instructor and putting his hands behind his back.

"Not when the crime is treason, Glynda. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go make the arrangements with Tai's CO," Ironwood stated calmly as he shortly nodded at his two friends who returned the gesture before the general walked toward the elevator and entered it before the doors closed.

After a moment had passed, Glynda let out a sigh and before turning to face Ozpin who took another sip from his mug and coolly looked at his partner.

"I have to admit, even with James suggesting we send an entire squad of soldiers with our huntsman, his request is a lot more tame than his usual suggestions," Glynda noted causing the headmaster to make no reaction and simply sipped from his mug again before glancing at the witch who calmly looked back at him.

"True, but everything he does is to protect mankind even if his methods lack...tact. Anyway, we shouldn't concern ourselves with that for the moment; after all, the dance is coming up and it wouldn't do if he mulled over this far more than we should," Ozpin replied causing the witch to let out a soft sigh and nod reluctantly as the headmaster of beacon went on his scroll and went about making the proper arrangements for what would be needed at the dance.

* * *

" _Go talk to Lisa Lavender about your special assignment, she says. It will be a great learning experience, she says. Ugh, it just sounds like I'm going to babysit some know nothing know it all reporter,"_ a young, robust woman with unkempt black hair and dull blue eyes thought to herself as she irritably stomped toward the VNN building with her hands in her pockets while ignoring any stares she was being given.

Pushing open the door to the building, the young woman let out a huff and approached the front desk while taking her hands out of her pockets as the receptionist continued typing away without even noticing the young woman causing her to clear her throat and fold her arms.

"Yes, what do you want?" the receptionist inquired with her eyes narrowed causing the young woman to snort and reach into her pocket and take out her wallet and show her Atlesian military i.d. to the impatient receptionist.

"I need to talk to Lisa Lavender; she's always wanted to do a report on Mountain Glenn and General Ironwood is giving her that chance," the young soldier retorted with her teeth gnashed causing the receptionist to huff and type something into the computer before something resembling a badge came out of a printer to the receptionist's left.

"Second floor, down the hallway, third door on your right," the receptionist tersely stated while slamming the visitor badge on the counter and then making a shooing motion with her hand before giving her full attention back to the computer causing the soldier to shake her head and stick the visitor badge onto her shirt.

"Thank you very much," the soldier stated through gritted teeth which the receptionist didn't even react to and just continued typing things into her scroll causing the young woman to roll her eyes and take the stairs up to the third floor.

Scanning left and right, the young woman remembered the instructions she had been given and gently knocked on the third door on the right causing whoever was behind it to stop moving and clear her throat.

"Come in," the voice stated curiously causing the young woman to let out a soft sigh and pull out her wallet again before gently opening the door and saw the gray haired reporter raise a brow as the soldier showed the woman her military I.D.

"Mrs. Lavender, I have orders from my commanding officer, and by extension General Ironwood, to tell you that you're being given the opportunity to scout Mountain Glenn while being escorted by me while accompanying a team of huntsman Headmaster Ozpin is planning to send in six weeks time," the young woman stated right off the bat causing the gray haired reporter to widen her eyes and rub her temple before looking at the soldier with a raised brow.

"Well, this certainly is an...interesting development, Mrs. Nguyen. Pray tell, how come Ozpin decides to offer me help now when he's denied me assistance in the past?" Lisa inquired with her eyes narrowed causing the young soldier to shrug and sit down on the chair across from the reporter with her back straight.

"I wish I could tell you, Mrs. Lavender, but I'm just in the dark as you are. My best guess is, and I don't mean any offense by this, is that Ozpin didn't consider your request important until White Fang and criminal activity suddenly skyrocketed," Tai replied calmly causing the reporter to huff and fold her arms while the soldier put her hands on her legs and stretched her back a bit before refocusing on Lisa who was tapping her chin with her finger.

"Why just one team of huntsman and single soldier though? If Mountain Glenn is supposedly a hot spot of criminal or White Fang activity, why not send in more huntsman, or failing that, more soldiers?" the reporter inquired calmly while folding her arms causing the soldier to snort before taking a deep breathe in and letting it back out.

"I didn't say Mountain Glenn was a hot spot, Mrs. Lavender," Tai pointed out causing Lisa to scoff and lean back in her chair with her arms still crossed causing the soldier to purse her lips for a brief moment before blankly staring back at the reporter.

"You didn't say it wasn't, Mrs. Nguyen," Lisa retorted calmly with her eyes closed causing Tai to mentally curse, but kept her expression calm and shrugged before leaning forward in her chair and putting her arms on Lisa's desk.

"Alright, so maybe I didn't, but will you accept the job?" the soldier asked as calmly as she could while feeling uncomfortable as Lisa examined her like she was a piece of meat before the reporter pursed her lips and put her hands on her desk.

"I will go...provided you answer some questions for me first. This will be strictly off the record so you won't have to worry about me putting this in some article or reporting it on the evening news," Lisa requested causing Tai to raise a brow and resist the urge to rub the back of her head before she let out a soft sigh.

"I don't mind doing this, Mrs. Lavender, but may I ask why?" Tai responded curiously causing the reporter to nod curtly with her hands clasped.

"If you're going to escort me, I feel it's prudent that I get to know you a little better. After all, I'd want to know if my partner is a trigger happy sociopath or some other unsavory character before I go to the most dangerous area in Vale with them," Lisa replied with a calm, sharp tone causing the soldier to narrow her eyes and snort before sitting up straight and similar to the reporter, clasped her hands and sat up straight.

"I assure you, Mrs. Lavender, I'm very principled and I'll do my best to protect you," Tai said with her patience wearing a thin which the reporter took note of and softly coughed into her sleeve before letting out a breathe.

"Then I guess I have nothing to worry about, Mrs. Nguyen. To start off, why did you want to join the military instead of attempting to become a huntsman like so many other children?" Lisa asked the soldier who raised a brow and shifted in her chair slightly before letting a slight grin tug at her lips.

"Oh, that's easy. I just feel that huntsman, especially this generation, don't take the duty of safeguarding the world seriously, you know? Between Qrow who's drunk off his ass and has the social skills of a spoiled toddler, Raven who went rogue and is leading a bandit tribe, and Ozpin who isn't doing anything about the fact that the White Fang somehow got access to top of the line military tech, the world's supposed guardians don't exactly inspire me with confidence. I don't like the methods General Ironwood uses sometimes and I have formally complained about them to the Atlesian council and the media networks in Atlas, but at least he's trying to do something about it," Tai ranted causing the gray haired reporter to briefly widen her eyes before her expression turned thoughtful as she pursed her lips and looked up at the ceiling before giving a simple nod.

"Very interesting, Mrs. Nguyen. Next, how do you feel about the fact that the average age of White Fang recruits tends to be around 15-19?" Lisa inquired calmly causing the soldier to solemnly sigh and smack her lips while wiping away a tear from her eye with her index finger before staring at the reporter once more.

"I hate it; I don't think any sane soldier gets up in the morning and looks forward to seeing a child staring back at them in their iron sights. I don't know what Sienna Kahn's making his men tell these children, but we have to stamp it out as soon as possible. Until then, as much as it disgusts me, I'm going to have to keep on shooting misguided kids who think they're fighting for a noble cause," Tai responded before covering her eyes with her hand and breathing slowly as streams of tears flowed down on her cheeks causing Lisa to grab her tissue box and push it toward the weeping soldier who grabbed a tissue and began wiping her eyes.

"I'm...sorry, Mrs. Lavender," Tai stated while continuing to wipe her red, teary eyes with the tissue causing the reporter to shake her head and with her hands up before clearing her throat and clasping her hands.

"It's quite alright, Mrs. Nguyen; you seem trustworthy to me so we can stop here if you want," Lisa assured the soldier causing Tai to shake her head and put the tissue on the desk and let out a breathe causing the reporter to push the tissue box closer to the soldier just in case.

"No, it's fine. You can continue," Tai replied causing the reporter to slowly nod and briefly look up at the ceiling before looking back at the soldier with an empathetic expression.

"If this sounds too personal, then you don't have to answer it. What're your thoughts on the SDC and the Atlesian military?" Lisa cautiously pressed causing the tin man to let out a puff of air from her nose and put her hands on her legs with a calm, stoic expression on her face.

"In my opinion, the SDC is no better than Torchwick's mafia which makes the fact that they're our main supplier all the more appalling. If I use the SDC's equipment, it's basically saying that I'm okay with their questionable business practices. My armor and weapons? They're replicas made by a blacksmith in Mistral with a few interesting perks that look like the gear the SDC gives us tin men," Tai admitted while putting her index finger to her lip causing Lisa to nod and mimic the gesture as the soldier rapped her knee with her fingers before staring at the reporter.

"Have you voiced your objections to your superiors?" Lisa asked causing the soldier to give a heavy sigh and run a hand through her hair which made the reporter to raise a brow as the soldier rubbed her temple before looking back at Lisa.

"I have, Mrs. Lavender, and they are conflicted about it as well, but they say the benefits of having the SDC stay in business and give us a steady supply of military tech outweigh the consequences our partnership brings. I'm also not a fan of how my superiors tend to treat faunus recruits like keeping most of them in non combat positions, sending them into dangerous zones before they send in human soldiers, and doing nothing about the constant harassment they suffer, but a few have taken strides to correct this behavior," Tai explained hesitantly causing Lisa to resist the urge to slam her fist onto her desk and instead took a calm breathe while closing her eyes before letting it out and glancing at the soldier.

"That's unfortunate to hear...Tai. I have one last question that's hypothetical if you're willing to answer it," Lisa stated causing the soldier to nod and let out a sigh as she straightened her back and put her hands on the reporter's desk.

"What do you think should be done about the SDC, Atlesian military, and the policies regarding faunus in the kingdoms?" the reporter inquired causing Tai to purse her lips and look down at her hands blankly before looking back up at Lisa with her eyes narrowed.

"The SDC needs to die out; it used to be a respectable business, but that time has long since passed. I know that rumors say that Weiss Schnee is trying to become a huntress to redeem the company's reputation and I can respect that, but what she's trying to do doesn't matter. Most of the discriminatory policies against faunus in Atlas are because of the SDC so running them out of business may not get rid of the policies immediately, but with them out of the picture faunus can actually make progress fighting for equality," Tai stated passionately with her fists angrily clenched before the soldier let out a breathe and relaxed her hands causing the reporter to raise a brow at the gesture before blankly staring at the soldier and nodding in response.

"Anyway, as for the military, we'll manage without SDC. Our allies in Mistral would be more than happy to give us equipment that may not be state of the art, but they're reliable, meant to last, and not made with slave labor. Plus, maybe some of Mistral's...forward outlooks on life will influence people in Atlas; unfortunately, I don't see that happening anytime soon," the soldier finished sadly while looking down at her hands causing Lisa to purse her lips and awkwardly put a hand on Tai's shoulder which made the tin man give a small smile.

"Maybe it will be true someday, Tai. As for that mission at Mountain Glenn, I'd be more than happy to go now that I know my partner a little bit better and know she's going to watch my back," Lisa assured the soldier while patting her shoulder causing Tai to laugh softly and gently brush off the reporter's hand before scratching her head.

"Alright, I'll go tell my CO that you agreed to go...Lisa. Oh, and are you proficient with any firearms?" Tai asked the reporter who nodded and rummaged through her purse before briefly flashing the grip of the pistol similar to the one Vale's policemen use before the reporter put the weapon back in her purse and solemnly glanced at the tin man.

"Unfortunately, I am. I've had my fair share of jobs where my life is on the line like reporting on what Torchwick's mafia is up to, sending back data to my boss about how well the Valean Militia is doing on fending off Grimm, and keeping the people informed of White Fang activity," Lisa responded without missing a beat and for a few seconds, Tai noted the remorseful look on the reporter's face when she spoke of her last job before Lisa reverted back to a stoic expression.

"Well, it's good to hear that you can fend for yourself just in case something happens. I'll see you at the courtyard at Beacon at 0700, okay?" the soldier replied causing the reporter to nod as Tai left the room and gently closed the door before walking away with her hands in her pockets while staring ahead confusedly.

" _What's really going on, Ironwood?"_ Tai mused while glaring up at the ceiling before letting out a breathe and continue to walk down the hallway in complete silence with no sound escaping her lips.


	11. Chapter 11 Means at Hand

Ch.11

Means at Hand

 _RWBY is the property of its respective owners_

"Okay, so does everyone remember their roles?" Ruby, the eccentric leader of her team, asked of her friends as they all went about readying their weapons and with Blake giving practice swings of Gambol Shroud while Weiss narrowed her eyes and thrust the tip of myrtenaster in a quick succession before clipping her wapon to her belt.

"Ruby and I will head to the CCT tower to check the SDC records for any dust robberies or any gaps in the data and seeing as I'm a Schnee, it shouldn't be a problem," Weiss explained with a smirk and put a hand on her chest while Blake cleared her throat and put her hands behind her back.

"The White Fang has regular faction meetings to hand out orders and recruit new members so if I can get in, I can hopefully find out what they're planning," Blake said with a professional tone of voice that would have made Ironwood proud before she along with Ruby and Weiss glanced at Yang who had a smirk on her face.

"I have an old friend on the shady side of town that typically knows everything going on in Vale. Getting information out of him shouldn't be too hard," the brawler stated confidently with her arms folded causing Blake and Weiss to roll their eyes while Ruby just smiled widely and nodded at what her sister stated before standing in the center of their room.

"Great, we'll meet up tonight near Yang to go over what we've found. Let's do this!" Ruby shouted while balling her hand into a fist and bringing her elbow back to her ribs causing her teammates to cheer in agreement.

"Yeah!" a sudden voice from behind yelled causing the scythe wielder, Weiss, Blake, and Yang to raise a brow and turn her head to the window to find Sun Wukong hanging from a tree branch with his tail.

"Sun!?" Blake exclaimed incredulously while she and her friends jumped back defensively before Yang briefly scratched her head before putting her hands on her hips.

"How did you get up there?" the brawler questioned the martial artist causing the monkey king to laugh softly and fold his arms.

"Ah, it's easy; I do it all the time," Sun responded in an upbeat tone of voice causing the heiress to widen her eyes before she glared at the martial artist and gripped the hilt of Myrtenaster tightly.

"You do what!?" Weiss stated angrily while about to point her rapier at the martial artist causing Sun to frantically wave his hands and shake his head causing the heiress to fold her arms and glower at the martial artist.

" _I climb trees all the time_. Anyway, are we finally getting back at the Torchwick guy because I'll admit Ruby, Blake and I need to get some pay back," Sun replied while using his tail to swing himself into the girl's room and stared at Team RWBY determinedly while Blake glared at Sun and stepped forward.

" _We,_ are going to investigate the situation, _as a team_. And _you,_ are not a part of this team," Blake retorted sharply and hoped the martial artist would get the point, but to her dismay, what she said didn't erase Sun's grin causing Ruby to scratch her head before stepping forward.

"Sorry Sun, we don't want to get friends involved if we don't have to," Ruby said in a much calmer, softer tone than her friend's causing Sun to raise a brow while Blake folded her arms as the martial artist broke out into a wide grin.

"Pfft, that's dumb; you should always get friends involved which is why I brought Neptune," Sun responded cheekily while pointing over his shoulder with his thumb toward the window causing Team RWBY to exchange glances with one another and walk over to the window where they saw Neptune standing as close to the wall as possible with a smile on his face.

"Sup, " the polearm wielder stated simply causing Ruby and Weiss to look at each other before the scythe wielder looked back at Neptune with a raised brow.

"How did you even get up here?" Ruby inquired confusedly causing Neptune to chuckle and before clearing his throat.

"I have my ways...but seriously though, can I come in? We're like, really high up right now," the intellectual pointed out causing Ruby to nod and extend her hand to Neptune who cautiously moved toward the young girl's hand and grasped it.

Putting her foot on the wall just in case, the scythe wielder slowly pulled Neptune into the room while Weiss placed a black glyph behind her team leader and slowly stepped back while pointing her two fingers at the glyph. With Ruby's surprising strength and the black glyph yanking Ruby back, they managed to pull the intellectual into the room causing Neptune's brow to raise before nodding.

"Thanks for the help you guys. Especially you, Snow Angel," Neptunte told the heiress with a wink causing Weiss to flush ever so slightly before nodding as Ruby clapped her hands together and moved toward the center of the room.

"All right; Sun, you go with Blake to the White Fang meeting. Neptune, you can go with Yang since she doesn't have a partner," Ruby stated causing Sun to grin at the black cat who glared at him in response causing him to rub the back of his head while Neptune went as stiff as board upon laying eyes on Yang forcing the scythe wielder to push him toward the brawler.

"Okay, everyone good?" Ruby asked her friends causing Blake to let out an irritated sigh, but nod the nonetheless while Yang raised a brow as Neptune tilted back and forth like a pendulum causing the brawler to put a hand on his shoulder to keep him in place.

"Actually Ruby, why don't you go with Yang? After all, she is your sister," Weiss stated while bashfully smiling at Neptune and tapping her index fingers together causing Ruby to raise a brow and glance at the heiress.

"But Weiss, who would go with you then?" Ruby pointed out causing the heiress to smile ever so slightly and put one hand on her hip.

"Well...I guess Neptune could go with me," Weiss replied while gesturing at the intellectual with her other hand while staring off to the side causing Ruby to tap her chin and look up at the ceiling before breaking out into a wide grin.

"Ha, ha, ha, nah!" Ruby responded while wiping a tear away with her index finger causing Weiss's grin to turn into a blank, annoyed expression before the scythe wielder grasped the heiress's arm and began to drag her out of the room.

"But, but!" Weiss protested while reaching out for Neptune before she and Ruby disappeared down the hall while Blake let out a huff and began walking down the hall with Sun walking beside her.

" _Didn't you get the memo, kid? The White Fang and I are going in on a little business venture so to speak,"_ Roman's voice rang through Blake's head mockingly causing the black cat to ball her hand into a fist and gnash her teeth before regaining her composure and stoically staring ahead.

"Everything okay?" Sun asked the former White Fang member concernedly causing Blake to blankly glance at her friend and softly sigh before nodding and continuing to walk down the hall with her arms folded.

"I'm fine," was Blake's curt reply causing Sun to raise a brow and nod slowly at what the black cat said as the duo made it to the landing area and boarded an air ship with Sun instructing the pilot to take them into Vale.

" _Adam wouldn't work with someone like Torchwick willingly; something else is going on here,"_ Blake mused with a hand on her chin while Sun briefly glanced at her before looking at the scenery below with his hands behind his head.

* * *

"Wilma, on your left!" Lacey warned her friend while trapping an Ursa Major's arm underneath her armpit when it attempted to behead her with its claws, blowing off half of a Lesser Beowolf's head with a well placed shot from her rifle when it tried to sink its teeth into her neck, and sending a creep flying across the destroyed pavement with a vicious front kick where it was impaled on a jagged piece of debris.

Widening her eyes, Wilma shakily brought up her large, rusty pipe and quickly glanced to the left where she saw a Greater Boarbatusk the size of an armored van hurtling toward like a pinwheel while being backed up by three Beowolves and an Ursa Minor. With her adrenaline flowing, the stout faunus dove to the side and grit her teeth as fresh scrape marks marred her legs before widening her eyes as the demonic boar easily barreled through the stone walls of a building causing the building to collapse causing the ground to violently shake. Shaking herself out of her stupor, Wilma turned back to her other foes and yelped as she barely managed to roll with the claw swipe of the Beowolf which still managed to rake against her face causing the reindeer faunus to tightly gnash her teeth together as she fell onto one knee.

Twisting her body to the side to avoid the monster's strike, Wilma let out a war cry and smashed the rusty pipe into the back of the Beowolf's knee as hard as she could causing the demon to let out an unpleasant wail and fall onto its back as the reindeer faunus ducked her head and rammed her antlers into the gut of the other Beowolf just as it attempted to tackle her to the ground. The blow elicited an inhuman cry from the monster who was sent crashing to the ground with oddly shaped holes marring its chest thanks to Wilma's antlers which were lightly coated with the Grimm's blood. With a furious shout, Wilma dove forward to avoid the charge of the Ursa Minor and when she got back to her feet, the reindeer faunus let out a shout and brought the rusty pipe down onto the fallen Beowolf's head.

The demon's head caved in with a sickening crack where the thick, tar like blood of the Grimm slowly spread across the pavement, but Wilma would get no reprieve as she heard something approaching her from behind and rolled to the side as the Boarbatusk tried to skewer her with its sharp, curved tusks. One of the Beowolves lept over the monstrous hog and brought its claws over its head like it was praising the sun before bringing its claws down on where Wilma's head was causing the reindeer faunus's eyes to widen and backpedal where the claws passed mere inches from her face.

Gasping as she bumped into the furry chest of the Ursa Minor, she suddenly felt strong arms firmly wrap themselves around her chest which pinned her arms against her chest and squeezed causing Wilma to grit her teeth as she felt as if her bones were being crushed into dust. She suddenly howled in pain when the pointy, sharp teeth of the Ursa Minor clamped themselves around her skull and pressed down on her head as hard as it could while the two Beowolves sank their teeth into her neck while savagely clawing and raking her chest. The Boabatusk backed up a fair bit and began to rapidly spin in place while the three young Grimm continued to maul Wilma who was thankful that her aura remained resolute as a castle wall as the Beowolves and Ursa Minor began wildy shaking their heads to and fro in an attempt to dislodge Wilma's head from her body.

Letting go of the rusty wipe, the reindeer faunus put her hands on the Ursa Minor's arms and tugged down on them which didn't make any headway in freeing herself, but suddenly dry heaved as the Greater Boarbatusk slammed into her gut making spit up a glob of saliva and making her pupils constrict. Despite all the damage Wilma was suffering, her aura stood strong giving her the chance to get her breathing back under control and grit her teeth as she dug her feet into the ground and attempted to flip the Ursa Minor over her shoulders.

Wilma was partially successfully in that the demon let out a surprised growl as it suddenly flipped over her shoulder, but kept its grasp on the reindeer faunus causing Wilma's maneuver to turn into a front flip with the Ursa Minor unintentionally impaling one of its canid brethren with the bony spikes jutting out of its back as it hit the ground. The other Beowolf collapsed on its arm as it's ankle agonizingly bent forward with a gut wrencing snap when the bulk of the Ursa Minor landed on it giving Wilma some breathing room. Hissing, the reindeer faunus repeatedly slammed her elbow into the side of the Ursa Minor as hard as she could causing the monster to let out a pained wail with each successive hit as the reindeer faunus saw the last Beowolf sprinting towards them in spite of its broken ankle out of the corner of her eye.

Bringing one of her feet back, the Wilma slammed the ball of her foot into the monster's throat causing it to let out an inhuman whimper as its jaw slammed shut and its neck twisted irregularly before it crashed to the ground deathly still. Just as the reindeer faunus brought her elbow back for another strike, the monstrous bear tightened its grip on her waist and continued to shake its jaw around with Wilma's skull in its mouth causing Wilma to gnash her teeth. She suddenly retched violently as the Boarbatusk smashed into them from the side like a freight train sending them crashing into a wall and making spider web cracks in the structure.

Feeling herself being pulled to her feet, Wilma cried out as the Ursa Minor spun her around and slammed her face first into the wall while diggings its claws into her ribs as the Greater Boarbatusk dug its fangs into her calf and viciously tugged while repeatedly slamming its tusks into the back of her legs. Even still, Wilma's aura continued to soak up the damage like a sponge causing the reindeer faunus to frantically look around for anything to use as a weapon and saw a piece of rebar sticking out of the wall. Gritting her teeth, Wilma slowly reached forward and freed the length of metal from the concrete with herculean effort and felt it brush against the Ursa Minor's thigh causing the White Fang goon to carefully aim her weapon.

Letting out a hiss as the Ursa Minor began diggings it claws onto the side of her face, Wilma forcefully stabbed downward causing the monstrous bear to let out an eerie, pained howl as the length of metal pierced its thigh like hot knife through butter where its thick, tarry blood plopped onto the ground. Forced to release its prey, the Ursa Minor stumbled backward while putting a paw on its thigh while the reindeer faunus freed her makeshift weapon from the demon's leg before the monster let out a wail as Lacey managed to fire off a burst from her rifle after being harshly swatted to the ground by an Ursa Major. With a final, weak groan, the demonic bear collapsed on its back with thumb sized holes in its skull causing the reindeer faunus to let out a sigh of relief before glaring at the Greater Boarbatusk who scraped the ground with its hoof causing Wilma to wince as it sounded like someone dragging their fingernails on a chalkboard.

"Okay Wilma, remember what Lacey said. It's belly is its weak point," the reindeer faunus whispered while breathing heavily as she began circling the demonic hog with the creature of Grimm standing its ground with its crimson eyes seemingly piercing the reindeer faunus's soul.

The large hog struck first and lunged at the reindeer faunus who planted her feet and braced for impact as Wilma slowed down the boar's charge by grasping one of its tusks while planting the length of rebar against the other one causing a large shockwave that sent rubble flying everywhere and causing her feet to sink into the ground. Gritting her teeth as her muscles strained from the effort while gradually being pushed back by the Grimm's greater strength, Wilma stabbed the rebar between the bony plates of the hog, but narrowed her eyes when she saw the length of metal not even penetrate the armor like skin of the monster. The demon seemed to snort contemptously and snagged Wilma's wrist in its tusks and with a simple, but forceful twist of its neck, caused the reindeer faunus to cry out as her wrist contorted in the wrong direction and her weapon was wrenched out of her hands. With a growl, the Boarbatusk sent the rebar skidding across the ground like a ball before biting down on Wilma's other hand with its long, sharp fangs causing the reindeer faunus to tightly shut her eyes before she felt herself being rapidly carried backwards.

Dry heaving and her pupils constricting once more as she was harshly slammed back first into a broken down armored van which caused the car to cave in, Wilma slumped down onto her butt as she felt the demon take a few steps back which dragged her along with it before it sprinted forward. Crying out as the hog simultaneously smashed its tusks into her face with a sickening crack and slammed the back of her head into the armored van, the monster repeated this action with Wilma helpless to do anything as one of her wrists was trapped in its tusks, one of her hands was stuck in its mouth, and her legs were trapped underneath the hog's bulk.

Even so, Wilma's unusually high aura weathered the blows and with a shout, smashed her head into the boar's head just as it attempted to ram her again causing it to let out a surprised yelp of pain and shake its head before continuing to harshly slam its tusks onto her face. Before the demon could do anymore damage, Lacey smashed the dead bodies of the Ursa Major she was fighting and an Alpha Beowolf into the boar's ribs like a runaway train eliciting an inhuman cry from the monster as it along with its dead brethren were sent crashing through the wall of a small house kicking up a copious amount of dust. Letting out a breathe and wiping away the sweat on her forehead with her forearm, Lacey knelt down next to Wilma who grinned warmly and waved at the sergeant.

"Hey Lacey, thanks for the help," Wilma gratefully told her friend who chuckled warmly and nodded as the reindeer faunus winced when she saw the myriad of superficial cuts and painful bruises marring Lacey's body through her torn clothes before she felt herself being pulled to her feet.

"Ow! No problem, but the fight's not over yet!" Lacey responded with a grimace and clutched her arm before handing the length of rebar to Wilma who nodded as the Greater Boarbatusk shook itself free of the debris and hurtled toward the duo at breakneck speed.

Wilma and Lacey rolled out of the way as the boar expertly turned left and careened toward the reindeer faunus who barely managed to dive to the side and rolled to her feet just as the hog was turning to face her again. Before that could happen, Lacey let loose a flurry of bullets from her rifle that impacted the side of the Greater Boarbatusk's ribs causing it to collapse on its side which Lacey was quick to take advantage of. Quickly closing the gap between them, Lacey shoved the demon onto its back and was about to run the hog through the chest with her sword, but the boar managed to trap Lacey's blade in its tusks as the last second and yanked the blade out of her hands.

Widening her eyes, Lacey's blood ran cold as the boar seemingly smirked at her and twisted its body in order to mount the sergeant and planted its hooves on top of Lacey's hand causing the sergeant to howl in pain as her hand felt like it was being run over by a car. Before the boar could finish Lacey by bringing down all of its weight onto her skull, Wilma bullrushed the demon and tackled it to the ground before she forced it onto its back and firmly wrapped her arms around its neck.

"Lacey, now!" the reindeer faunus shouted as the boar flailed its legs and twisted its body in an attempt to break free causing Lacey to regain her composure and nod as she planted the barrel of the rifle against the demon's gut.

Switching to lightning dust, Lacey screamed as she depressed the trigger and emptied round after round into the monster's gut who was still kicking its legs and when she saw the monster still flailing after tanking an entire clip, Lacey grabbed the piece of rebar. With a war cry, Lacey brought her makeshift weapon down onto the same spot she shot the boar and to her relief it penetrated the monster's gut causing the demon to let out a monstrous wail. Gritting her teeth, Lacey pushed the rebar in further as the tar like blood of the Grimm coated her hands before the length of rebar was almost completely in its belly. With its last ounce of strength, the Greater Boarbatusk lifted Wilma up and slammed her arm first onto the ground causing the reindeer faunus to let out an agonizing screech and release her grip on the monster before the demon ran full speed down the length of rebar. Lacey's eyes went as wide as saucers before she howled in excructiating pain as the Greater Boarbatusk smashed its entire body tusk first into Lacey's ribs causing the sergeant to feel as if she had been nearly impaled by a knight's lance before the back of her head harshly impacted the pavement.

Whimpering, Wilma grasped her numb arm tightly and dragged herself next to Lacey who was breathing errratically with her eyes shut tightly while tears ran down her face causing the reindeer faunus to put a hand on the sergeant's arm.

"Please...tell me...that killed it," Lacey requested while gritting her teeth and clutching her ribs causing Wilma to grimace and sit up before glancing at the demonic hog who was breaking down into black mist causing the reindeer faunus to let out a sigh of relief.

"We got it," Wilma responded with a slight grin of triumph causing Lacey to smirk slightly before whimpering and gritting her teeth causing the reindeer faunus to wrap her arms underneath Lacey's armpit and help her walk to the store they would be using as a rest area.

"Sheesh, do they have Grimm like this back in Menagerie?" Lacey incredulously inquired before grimacing and putting a hand on her ribs causing Wilma to chuckle as she attached the length of rebar to her backpack.

"Yeah, along with giant spider, crocodile, shark, snake, scorpion, and kangaroo Grimm, and that's not counting the acutal animals that live there," the reindeer faunus responded with a laugh causing Lacey to chuckle softly and with Wilma's help, attached her sword to her backpack and kept her rifle raised in order to scan for threats.

"Geez, with Grimm like this along with the most dangerous animals in the world, it's hard to imagine anyone can live in Menagerie," Lacey stated causing Wilma to purse her lips and look up at the sky before shrugging as causing the sergeant to raise a brow as the duo approached the side of the store with a ladder on the side of it.

"I guess I can see why you would think that, but the chief takes good care of the faunus living in Kuo Kuana," Wilma replied causing Lacey to raise a brow before gritting her teeth as she approached the ladder and put a hand and foot on it while letting out a pained breathe before the reindeer faunus put a hand on her back.

Seeing Lacey nod at her, Wilma helped the sergeant scale the ladder who would sluggishly lean against it or tightly grip the bar while shutting her eyes before continuing to slowly climb the ladder causing the reindeer faunus to worriedly glance at her friend. After what seemed like an eternity, the duo made it to the roof with Lacey briefly collapsing on her knees before picking herself up and leaning against a broken down heater and patting the ground next to her. Shutting her eyes tightly and gritting her teeth, Wilma sat down next to her friend and rolled her shoulder as she placed her backpack in front of her while leaning back against the heater.

"Have you seen the chief before?" Lacey inquired causing the reindeer faunus to shake her head as she pulled out a bag from her backpack which contained a sandwich causing Wilma to take it out and bite into it before she glanced back at her friend.

"I wish I did, but no. My family and I lived near the desert and Ashanti and I were usually too busy helping around the house to see the chief, much less his family. When we did have free time, we'd rather spend that time goofing off; I know his daughter joined the White Fang, but I have no idea what she looks like," Wilma answered while taking another bite of her sandwich causing Lacey to nod as she took out her own sandwich and chomped on it as the duo ate in silence before the sergeant awkwardly scratched the back of her head.

"Soooo...you and Ashanti are related then?" Lacey asked with her head tilted slightly causing the reindeer faunus to shake her head and take another bite of her sandwich causing the sergeant to raise a brow as Wilma stopped eating her sandwich and stared down at the broken floor.

"Not by blood, but my mom, dad, and I consider her to be apart of our family," Wilma answered with a warm grin before letting out a soft sigh and looking down at the floor once again causing Lacey to put a hand on Wilma's shoulder.

"What happened to Ashanti's blood relatives, if you don't mind me asking?" Lacey cautiously pressed and expected the reindeer faunus to glare at her and say "mind your own business," but Wilma simply rubbed her arm and put a hand on her leg.

"I'm sorry, it's not my place to tell you," Wilma politely told her friend who nodded and took a bite out of her sandwich before gazing at the reindeer faunus who wiped her mouth with her forearm and looked back at the sergeant.

"I understand. If you don't mind me asking, how was it like growing up in Menagerie?" Lacey warily asked her friend causing the reindeer faunus to purse her lips and look up at the sky before shrugging.

"Well, my family has only lived in Kuo Kuana for three years, but it's nice, I guess. Living along the coast was very dangerous, but as long as I stayed safe I had a lot of fun," Wilma answered causing Lacey to nod as she downed the last bits of her sandwich before pulling out a water bottle and chugging a part of it down before wiping her lips with the back of her hand.

"So how come your family decided to make the big move?" Lacey questioned causing Wilma to consume the last chunk of her sandwich and drink some water before grimacing a bit from her wounds and giving a shrug in response.

"I think my parents wanted me to grow up in a relatively safe environment, you know? I mean, the coast is _very_ beautiful, but I guess they didn't want to worry about me contracting a disease or getting mauled by an animal or Grimm," Wilma replied while chugging down some water with a grimace and inhaled and exhaled a bit to cope with the pain as the reindeer faunus saw Lacey fidget a bit before rubbing the back of her head.

"It must have been hard," Lacey stated solemnly causing Wilma to nod slowly before patting the sergeant's shoulders and hiding behind the heater causing Lacey to follow suit as a pack of Beowolves menacingly trudged past them on the ground below.

"It was, and I know this is going to sound bad, but my parents made sure to fatten me up before the journey so when we ran out of food, my body still had something to eat," Wilma explained with an awkward gesture of her hand before patting her gut causing Lacey's blood to run as cold as a glacier and looked at her friend with wide eyes before enveloping the reindeer faunus in a hug despite the pain it caused her.

Jolting, Wilma hugged her friend back before Lacey broke off the hug and took a deep breathe in before letting it back out before scanning the area around them and gesturing at the ladder.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," Lacey told her friend causing Wilma to smile and pat her friend's shoulder before the sergeant took out a vial of water dust and with effort, converted it into ice.

"Don't be, it's not your fault," Wilma assured her friend causing Lacey to grin as she placed the ice on her ribs and was about to wrap gauze around it, but the reindeer faunus took care of it causing the sergeant to nod gratefully at her friend.

Hearing her walkie talkie come to life, Wilma unclipped it from Lacey's belt and handed it to her friend who was using her backpack as a pillow before holding the device up to her lips and pressing down on the button.

"Hey Gates, how's clean up going?" Lacey asked her friend as the sound of food being munched on could be heard on the other line before the White Fang soldier cleared his throat and spoke into the device while Wilma's heard perked up when she heard an inhuman wail unlike any Grimm she heard before far off in the distance.

" _It's going good; Ashanti and I got into a pretty nasty scrap with a Beringel, a horde of Creeps, and a group of Ursa Minors, but the Southern sector is clear for now. We're going to check on the Eastern sector so we'll meet up with you guys later to **compare notes on Grimm activity** ," _Gates responded as smoothly as he could causing Lacey to ignore the pain in her chest and hold down the button again as Wilma took out her length of rebar and clutched it in her hands tightly.

"Okay, keep me updated. If you're able, come to the roof of the store near our base and if you guys are too injured, we'll meet up with you at the apartment complex south of our base," Lacey responded causing Gates to voice his affirmative and shut off the device causing the sergeant to let out a groan as she grasped her rifle and scooted closer to Wilma.

"I know, I heard it too. Let's keep a low profile so whatever it is doesn't find us," Lacey calmly told her friend causing Wilma to nod slowly while her body shook ever so slightly and moved closer to the sergeant while taking out her rifle and checking how much ammo she had.

Though certainly not her fault, Wilma did fail to notice the old, irregular hoof print behind the store that didn't belong to any horse as another demonic scream far off in the distance made Lacey unconsciously scoot closer to Wilma who shuddered at the terrible sound.


	12. Chapter 12 Belly of the Beast

Ch.12

Belly of the Beast

 _RWBY is the property of its respective owners_

"Dang it!" Ashanti seethed as another shot from her rifle merely grazed an Alpha Beowolf along its ribs causing the demon to grimace as black blood dripped onto the pavement before the demon snarled and surged toward Ashanti with its sharp, jagged teeth barred.

"Don't jerk the rifle up when you shoot!" Gates shouted while grabbing a Creep by the side of its head when it lunged at him and tossed it aside like ragdoll before bringing his rifle up to bear and smashing the tip of the barrel through the eye of a larger Creep when it nearly clamped its teeth down onto his arm.

The larger Creep let out an inhuman wail as the tar like blood gushed from its destroyed eye like a sprinkler and erratically staggered back as Gates punt kicked it across the street before aiming his rifle at the other Creep.

"Yes, thank you!" Ashanti gruffly shouted back as she brought her forearm up and gritted her teeth as a Creep sunk its teeth into her arm causing the zebra faunus to be glad that her aura was still active before bringing her fist up and repeatedly smashing it against the Grimm's skull like a blacksmith pounding their hammer onto an anvil.

Each of the hard, heavy blows elicited a screech from the monster, but it also caused the creature of Grimm to dig it fangs into her arm even more in order to keep a grip on its prey causing Ashanti to hold back an obscene curse as she looked up and saw that the Alpha Beowolf was now within arm's length of her. With a war cry, Ashanti brought her forearm that was accosted by the Creep over to her shoulder and forcefully swung it across the demonic canine's jaw as if she were a Spartan bashing their shield into the face of an enemy. The strike caused the Alpha Beowolf to cry in pain and stumble back as black blood splayed from its maw while the Creep howled in agony as its jaw and teeth completely shattered like glass forcing it to relinquish its grip on Ashanti. The Creep harshly tumbled across the ground before coming to a stop and dissolving into black mist causing the Alpha Beowolf to perk its ears up at the loss of its brethren before glowering at the zebra faunus with it's piercing, crimson eyes.

Looking down at the ground, the creature of Grimm slowly knelt down and grabbed a long chunk of concrete before smashing it against the ground causing slabs of stone to bounce and land near Ashanti's feet. The zebra faunus jolted and backpedaled as the demon glared at her and slowly advanced toward her while dragging its makeshift weapon on the ground causing hot sparks to fly from the Grimm's weapon.

"Ashanti, pull back! We'll fight it together!" Gates hollered as the large Creep forcefully chomped on his thigh causing Gates to curse, but he managed to force down the pain and stomped on the demon's head with his other foot.

Gates proceeded to perforate the creature of Grimm with a hailstorm of hot lead that made the demon shriek in agony as each bullet blew of little bits of flesh from its skull before it let go of Gates's thigh and collapsed on its side with blood pouring from its new holes like a fountain. The Creep began to decompose into mist causing Gates to sigh and focus his attention on Ashanti who looked around for a weapon as the Alpha Beowolf continued to advance toward her before her eyes lit up.

"Don't worry, I got this!" Ashanti yelled back as she bent down and grabbed a hunk of the concrete off the ground and circled the Alpha Beowolf causing Gates to resist the urge to face palm as he brought his rifle up to bear and shot the open jaw of the other Creep he was fighting just as it was lunging at his face.

With a gut wrenching squelch, the bullet tore through the Creep's mouth like a wet paper bag causing chunks of flesh and blood to spew out the back of its head and caused the demon to tumble across the ground as if it was thrown from the windshield of a fast moving car before coming to a stop at Gates's feet. Blankly gazing down at the creature of Grimm as it dissolved into mist, the White Fang goon switched his attention to the other fight going on and brought his rifle up where he carefully aimed at the Alpha Beowolf. With a snarl, pitch black smoke suddenly wafted off the Alpha Beowolf's body like a wildfire causing Ashanti's eys to widen before gasping as she was suddenly put on the defensive as the demon jabbed and swung its makeshift weapon in wild, but controlled assault. Ashanti barely dipped her head to the side as the tip of the spear brushed her hair and just managed to push the tip of the makeshift weapon away from her eye with her offhand, but dry heaved as the Alpha Beowolf forcefully slammed the butt end of its weapon into Ashanti's gut.

The zebra faunus coughed up a wad of saliva and clutched her gut as she felt like she just got hit by a bus, but refused to fall only for the her foe to swing the butt end of its weapon up into her chin causing Ashanti to scream as she felt as if her teeth were trying to impale the roof of her mouth. To her shock, she felt her aura shatter even though she was sure she still had reserves left, but didn't get to think on it further as she harshly landed on the ground back first. Ashanti grimaced and sucked in a breathe as she tried to get up, but felt like her body weighed a ton and was helpless as the Alpha Beowolf lunged forward with its weapon pulled back before stabbing the tip of the weapon toward her skull. Ashanti closed her eyes and waited for the end to come, but shots suddenly rang out causing the Alpha Beowolf to yelp as the volley of bullets caused it to spin awkwardly and land on its arm causing the demon to hiss.

Gates narrowed his eyes as he saw that the bullets dented, but didn't pierce the Grimm's knee causing him to take careful aim once more, but Ashanti suddenly sprang up and slammed the chunk of concrete into her enemy's face causing a disgusting crunch that caved in part of the monstrous canine's skull causing the monster to howl and fall onto its back as its face now resembled an unrecognizable mush. Gates quickly advanced on the downed monster and put his foot on the demon's chest where he emptied the entire clip into the monster's face causing the demon to scream before the monster, in a last ditch effort, grasped Gate's head with both of its large hands and squeezed his head like a grape. Gates cursed at the agonizing pressure around his skull, but managed to endure and smashed the butt end of his rifle onto the Alpah Beowolf's face like a sledgehammer causing a sickening crack that made the creature of Grimm go limp as Gates put a hand on his forehead and groaned before turning to Ashanti.

"You okay?" Gates concernedly asked as he extended his hand to his friend causing Ashanti to grasp her friend's hand and felt herself being pulled to her feet as Gates wiped off any dirt on the back of her shirt.

"Yeah, I think so, but I think that black smoke that Alpha Beowolf was giving off weakened my aura. No way it should have broken even if I did get my bell rung, but anyway, thanks for the assist," Ashanti responded while stretching her back causing Gates to nod and put another clip into his rifle while scanning the area for anymore Grimm.

"No problem; I felt my aura draining faster than it should of when it got a grip on my head. Maybe...the effects of the black smoke get stronger as a Grimm gets older?" Gates theorized while confirming that no threats were around him or his friend before looking at the zebra faunus who shrugged in response at his suggestion causing Gates to gesture to a destroyed apartment building.

Nodding, Ashanti limped into the building and with a grimace, jumped up and grasped the destroyed staircase before pulling herself up onto the second floor where she sat down against the wall and put her backpack down. Gates followed suit and pulled himself up the staircase where he tightly shut his eyes and put a hand on his forehead before sitting down next to Ashanti, setting his backpack down, and pulling out a sandwich bag. Taking the snack out of its bag, the White Fang goon stared at it blankly before glancing at Ashanti who tilted her head to the side as she took out her sandwich and held it up to her lips.

"You don't have to prove anything to me, Lacey, or Wilma. We appreciate what you bring to the table so drop the macho act, okay?" Gates suddenly stated as he took a bite out of his sandwich causing Ashanti to blush heavily and mutter something under her breathe before letting out an irritated huff.

"I don't act macho," Ashanti grumbled as she chomped on her sandwich with a scowl causing Gates to grunt and consume another piece of his snack before wiping his lips with the back of his hand.

"Then what do you call trying to pull the pallet when you're too hurt to do so and trying to fight an elder Grimm by yourself when you had a friend to back you up?" Gates gruffly retorted while narrowing his eyes at Ashanti causing the zebra faunus to falter in her gaze before sighing heavily and putting a hand on her knee.

"Okay, you're right, but it's kind of hard to forget an old habit," Ashanti explained causing Gates to raise a brow before gesturing with his hand for his friend to continue causing the zebra faunus to suck in a breathe before letting it out.

"My mom and I use to live in the mountainous region of Menagerie, but then we decided to try to make the move to the city with some other members of our village when I turned 15. Of course, the trip was going to be tough since the rules are that you will run out of food before getting to Kuo Kuana so my mom fattened me up before the trip so my body would have something to eat when we ran out of food," the zebra faunus elaborated causing Gates to purse his lips before nodding and finishing the last bits of his sandwich.

"Smart woman; where was your old man in all of this?" Gates asked causing Ashanti to snort and lean back against the wall while looking up at the ceiling of the destroyed building.

"He was there, but he always treated mom and I like we were his servants," Ashanti responded with a slight growl as she shoved the rest of her sandwich in her mouth while Gates nodded and patiently waited for his friend to continue.

"Anyway, everyone in the group had to earn their keep so I helped my mom cook and clean and my dad helped defend the convoy. Besides the fact that we were slowly running out of food, water, and medicine, the trip was going relatively well. Just when we were few weeks away from Kuo Kuana, my mom got bitten by a spider that I think was carrying a disease because she came down with a really nasty flu," Ashanti continued causing Gates to briefly widen his eyes before regaining his composure and nodding causing the zebra faunus to suck in a breathe.

"At first, my mom was given medicine so she was able to continue contributing for the most part, but it soon became apparent that whatever my mom came down with wasn't treatable with what he had so my dad had the doctors stop treating her to conserve resources," Ashanti continued causing Gates to grunt and clench his fist briefly before relaxing his hand and resting it on his leg.

"That's messed up; they should have mercy killed her instead of letting her suffer," Gates stated causing the zebra faunus to nod and clench her teeth before releasing a soft breathe.

"I know, and a few days later my mom wasn't able to get out of bed, said her bones felt like glass, and I knew she would be kicked out if she wasn't able to contribute so I tried to steal some medicine for her. Unfortunately, my dad found out what I was doing and dragged me back to mom's tent so she could get me under control, but when he saw how sick mom was, he informed everyone about what I did and my mom's condition. He was the one to suggest that we should be kicked from the group because I wasn't reliable and my mom was dead weight...and everyone else agreed," Ashanti recalled sadly as tears welled at her eyes before wiping them away with the back of her hand causing Gates to put a hand on her shoulder which made the zebra faunus grin.

"I'll be sure to repay your dad's kindness if I ever see him, but I'm guessing you guys didn't get very far with your mom's condition," Gates assumed causing Ashanti to suck in a breathe and nod slowly as she stared down at her combat boots long and hard before looking ahead.

"Right; no food, no water, and on top of that my mom was getting worse by the second. I carried her on my back while she guided me to Kuo Kuana as best she could, but she died a few hours later and I had to bury her in the sand. After that, I just kind of...shut down, you know? I don't remember how long I was just kneeling down next to my mom's grave, but by the time Wilma and her family came across me, I was at death's door," Ashanti remembered bitterly as more tears began dripping down her eyes causing the zebra faunus to cover her face with her hand and wipe away her tears while Gates rubbed her back.

"When they saw what happened, Wilma's family took me in and raised me as if I was their own flesh and blood. I still see my dad and the other members of the traveling group I use to be with around the neigborhood Wilma and I live in, but I try not to let it bother me," Ashanti finished causing Gates to grab the back of his friend's head and gently pull her in which made their foreheads touch causing the zebra faunus to blush before putting a hand around her friend's neck.

"Sorry you had to go through that, but please drop the macho act, okay? We're your friends and we're not going to abandon you just because you mess up," Gates whispered causing the zebra faunus to nod as the two broke off their hug a moment later as the White Fang goon took out his walkie talkie and pressed the button on the side of the device.

"Lace, we're-"

"Forget it; Wilma and I are already headed towards you guys; you two are at the apartment, right?" Lacey interrupted gruffly causing Gates to raise a brow while Ashanti glanced at him and then at the device before unconsciously gripping her rifle tightly.

"Yeah, we'll sit tight," Gates responded causing the sergeant to voice her affirmative before all the duo could hear was static causing Gates to walk over to the window to keep a lookout for his friends while Ashanti looked down at the ground with her eyes narrowed.

" _What's this about, Lacey?"_ Ashanti thought to herself while resting her rifle on her lap and leaning back against the wall before letting out a breathe as she blankly gazed at the empty streets through the large hole in the wall.

* * *

"Blake, over here, there's another one of these claw mark things," Sun hailed his partner causing the former White Fang member to walk over and saw at the side of the building were indeed three white jagged lines running down the side of the wall.

"We're close," Blake muttered as she put her hand over the graffiti and looked to her left before walking down the street with a confused Sun in tow.

"How can you be sure?" Sun asked her as Blake walked over to the side of another building and saw the same claw marks the other building had causing her to walk around the corner forcing the martial artist to pick up the pace to catch up with her.

"The claw marks serve as landmarks; since the White Fang can't recruit out in the open, they needed another way to bring in manpower. To everyone else, it's just graffiti, but to potential White Fang members, it's telling them that they're headed in the right direction," Blake calmly explained causing the martial artist to nod and quietly follow his friend as she suddenly stopped near a building near the docks and beckoned for Sun to hold his position.

Placing her back against the wall, Blake carefully shimmied forward and peeked over the side where she saw a bearded man bow to two teenage faunus who nodded back and accepted the masks resembling a species of Grimm from him before walking through a door.

"This is it," Blake whispered as she made sure she was out of sight before turning to Sun who raised a brow and scratched the back of his head.

"You sure?" Sun asked causing the black cat to fold her arms and raise a brow causing the martial artist to sigh softly and then shrug.

"Y'know, I'll just gonna take your word for it," the martial artist conceded causing Blake to stare at Sun for a moment before taking off her bow and walking towards the entrance with Sun walking beside her with the bearded man noticing them approach.

"Welcome my brother and sister; the White Fang appreciates you coming out today," the bearded man told the two while handing them masks resembling a certain species of Grimm causing Blake to wordlessly nod and take the mask while Sun stared at it strangely.

"Uh...yeah! It's...great to be here," the martial artist stated with a fake smile as he reluctantly grabbed the mask before walking inside the building wihile Blake nodded at the guard one last time before following her friend inside.

"What's wrong, Sun?" Blake worriedly asked her friend causing Sun to sigh heavily and stop in his tracks while making sure they were out of ear shot of any potential eavesdroppers.

"It's just...I don't get why they wear the masks. If you believe what you're doing is right, why hide who you are?" Sun confusedly whispered as he spared a glance at the Grimm mask in his hands before looking back at his friend who tightened her grip on the mask in her hands.

"We weren't afraid, it's just that we wanted the masks to become a symbol. Humanity wanted to make monsters out of us, so we chose to don the faces of monsters," Blake responded causing Sun to rub the back of his head and look at his mask as if it were some sort of demonic entity before glancing back at his friend.

"For an organization that's suppose to be the voice of the faunus, that's kind of dark," Sun pointed out causing Blake to nod in agreement and slip on her mask while the martial artist still seemed hesitant to put his on.

"So was the guy who started it," Blake bluntly responded as memories of Adam flashed through her mind before she forced the images out of her head and sauntered forward while Sun looked at the mask for a moment before putting it on and following Blake.

"Always sunshine and rainbows with you," Sun muttered causing Blake to huff as they were directed towards a group of other faunus that happened to be new recruits causing the black cat to take note of her surroundings.

At first, all she saw was many low ranking White Fang soldiers which wasn't too out of the ordinary, but when she averted her gaze to the stage her eyes widened as she saw a large, muscular faunus with menacing tattoos running down his arm standing at center stage. He could have been mistaken for any other White Fang soldier due to wearing similar garbs to them, but what differentiated them from his low ranking brethren was that he towered over everyone in the room even without having to stand on the stage and the mask he wore that had blood red markings on the top and bottom of where his eyes would be. Seeing this, Sun put a hand on her shoulder causing Blake to jolt and shake herself out of her stupor.

"You okay?" Sun concernedly asked her causing the black cat to nod slowly as the faunus on stage began talking in a firm, but welcoming tone to those gathered in the building.

"Yeah, it's just that we have to be careful. Adolf, the guy talking right now, is a White Fang commando like I was used to be and they're all skilled enough to match and potentially kill a huntsman," Blake quietly explained to her friend who raised a brow before nodding as a familiar figure slowly walked on stage with a smug grin on his face.

" _Adolf says he's the key to what the White Fang has been fighting for? Is this how far you've fallen, Adam?"_ Blake thought to herself as she shook her head and let out a soft huff before listening to the rest of Roman's speech with a scowl.

* * *

"Damn, this is bad, Lace. You're sure that that's what you heard on that walkie talkie Ashanti stole?" Gates grumbled while folding his arms while Lacey frantically paced around the romm as Wilma and Ashanti exchanged glances with one another before the reindeer faunus walked towards her friends.

"I'm sure; Lisa Lavender is coming with the team of huntsman while being escorted by a tin man," Lacey replied while throwing her arms up into the air before sighing irritably and putting her hands over her face.

"But, since Mrs. Lavender is coming with the huntsman, that means we won't have to go into Vale to contact her, right?" Wilma pointed out causing Ashanti's eyes to light up and nod with an impressed look on her face, but Lacey's nervous expression didn't waver as she ran a hand throug her hair and huffed in frustration.

"It's not that simple; she's the type of reporter to risk life and limb to get to the bottom of things and with a team of huntsman and a soldier backing her up, she'll take risks she normally wouldn't like trying to infiltrate the catacombs underneath Mountain Glenn," Lacey rebutted causing Wilma's eyes to widen before her shoulders sagged while Ashanti tilted her head and stared at the sergeant with a raised brow.

"What's so bad about that? Sure, she'll discover that the White Fang have set up shop underground, but then she can just take it back and publish it, right?" Ashanti inquired with a hopeful look causing Gates to shake his head and lean against the wall while staring at the zebra faunus.

"No, if the huntsman manage to infiltrate the base and discover what the benefactors been up to, Torchwick's going to start the breach early to cover his tracks," Gates explained causing Wilma and Ashanti's eyes to widen while Lacey solemnly nodded and stepped forward with her hands on her hips.

"On top of that, a lot of faunus are going to die if Torchwick decides to start the breach prematurely since the explosions will cause the tunnels to cave in which could potentially kill the huntsman, the tin man, and Lisa," Lacey added causing a cold chill to up Wilma's spine while Ashanti's blood boiled and smashed her fist into her open palm with a bestial snarl before Wilma put a hand on her shoulder causing Ashanti to huff and put her hands on her hips.

"So...I guess...we could try to give Lisa the info on the White Fang now?" Wilma bashfully suggested causing Lacey's eyes to widen while Gates raised a brow and glanced at the sergeant who stared down at the ground long and hard before reluctantly nodding.

"Damn it, I hoped we could have had more training under our belt before defecting, but we have no choice. Ashanti, Gates, head back to base, take what you can carry, and set up camp near the Atlesian military outpost we stole the dust from. Wilma, you and I are going to head into Vale, get into contact with Lisa Lavender, and give her all the info we have on the breach and the White Fang," Lacey ordered causing Gates to dutifully nod and cautiously exited the apartment while Wilma and Ashanti hugged one another before the zebra faunus broke off the hug and followed Gates back to base.

"Okay, let's change out of our uniforms and into something that doesn't broadcast we're members of the most hated terrorist organization in Remnant," Lacey stated plainly as she fumbled around in her backpack for a spare change of clothes while Wilma nodded and rummaged through her backpack and took out a dark gray t-shirt and plain black pants.

"What about that thing we heard?" Wilma inquired as she swapped out her White Fang uniform for her civilian garb causing the sergeant to shudder upon recalling the mysterious wailing from earlier as she pulled out the same clothes the reindeer faunus had, but of different sizes.

"We keep our distance; if it's what Gates and I suspect it is, we avoid it at all costs," Lacey replied calmly though the reindeer faunus heard a twange of fear enter her friend's voice before the sergeant finished putting on her civilian clothes and put her backpack over her shoulder.

"Wilma, we won't be able to take any weapons with us into Vale with the clothes we got on so if the benefactor's lackeys find us...it's over," Lacey informed her friend solemnly causing the reindeer faunus to narrow her eyes and nod determinedly causing the sergeant to raise a brow.

"If that does happen, at least we managed to do some good however small it may be," the reindeer faunus responded with a slight grin while slinging her backpack over her shoulder causing Lacey to fold her arms before slowly breaking out into a smile and putting a hand on her hip.

"Well, we better get a move on before our window closes. We can get to Vale in under an hour if we take the path we're going to use if the breach does come to pass," Lacey stated causing the reindeer faunus to nod as she watched the sergeant scan the area first before beckoning Wilma towards her.

For the next few minutes, the duo walked in complete silence with Lacey holding up her rifle just in case any Grimm decided to try and assail them while Wilma casually gripped her rifle while both on the lookout for threats and taking the scenery in. With the silence making her feel uncomfortable, especially during the night when the Grimm were at their strongest, Wilma pursed her lips before glancing at her friend.

"Um, Lacey, how are we going to get Mrs. Lavender to talk to us anyway?" the reindeer faunus inquired causing the sergeant to release a puff of air from her nostrils before doing a quick scan of the area.

"We're going to the VNN building, tell the receptionist that we have information pertaining to the White Fang, and bring some proof so she'll be more willing to listen to us," Lacey quickly responded causing the reindeer faunus to raise a brow and process the fact that her friend had just made their task sound like a walk in the park.

"It's that simple?" Wilma skeptically questioned causing the sergeant to shake her head and push a branch out of out of her way while the reindeer faunus ducked underneath it as the two friends continued their march.

"No, she might think we're just trying to get famous by giving her fake info on the White Fang so she'll take our meeting with a grain of salt or she might not meet us at all. In the latter case, I'll just sneak into her office and give her all the info we have on the White Fang and the breach," Lacey replied causing Wilma to widen her eyes before nodding slowly as she wiped away the sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand.

After what seemed like an eternity, the duo made it to the outskirts of Vale where they saw the lights of the city across the waterline of the docks causing Lacey to set her backpack down and rummage through its contents while the reindeer faunus sat down against the trunk of a tree.

" _Okay, Lacey said Mrs. Lavender needs proof so..."_ Wilma thought as she pulled out her White Fang mask out of her backpack along with her uniform before turning towards Lacey while holding the objects in question.

"Will these work as proof?" the reindeer faunus asked her friend who pulled out her own White Fang mask before glancing at the items in Wilma's hand and nodded.

"Yeah, it will, and be sure to bring your scroll too," Lacey added causing the Wilma to nod and set the items down with the sergeant putting her uniform and mask on top of the pile before pulling out a smaller bag out of her backpack and shoving the items into it.

"Just in case," Lacey whispered as she pulled out vials of dust from her backpack and detached some dust cartridges from her rifle and put them in her pants pockets while the reindeer faunus raised a brow before detaching dust cartridges from her weapon as well.

"Alright, let's bury our backpacks and rifles here; we'll come back for them later," Lacey ordered as she clipped her scroll to her belt causing the reindeer faunus to raise a brow before the duo dug into the ground together and before long, the duo made a big enough hole for both their items.

Placing the objects into the hole, the duo quickly buried their weapon and backpack in the dirt as Lacey rolled her shoulder before approaching the dark water that shone under the shattered moon light.

"W-wait, w-we're swimming!? I-I d-don't know-"

"Wilma, we don't have a lot of options right now, but I'll be at your side for the whole time, okay?" Lacey quickly informed and assured her friend when she noted the fear enter Wilma's voice causing the reindeer faunus to glance at the water as if it some was dark entity threatening to consume her before gulping and slowly nodding.

"O-okay," Wilma stuttered as she approached the water and backtracked a bit before diving into the cold, chilly water causing Lacey to raise a brow before shrugging and diving into the water as well.

"Ah! Something bumped my foot!" Wilma shrieked as she came up for air causing her to frantically backstroke towards the docks causing Lacey to surface next to her and put a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Sorry, sorry, that was my hand!" Lacey apologized to Wilma who put a hand on her chest and sighed in relief before the reindeer faunus began swimming towards the docks as fast as she could, but she was going at a snail's pace even for recreational swimmers while Lacey kept pace with Wilma with tremendous ease.

"It's alright, I'm right here," Lacey would assure the reindeer faunus whenever she would stop when she thought something touched her leg or saw the water shift for any reason which was enough for Wilma to regain her courage and keep swimming.

Finally reaching the docks after what seemed like hours, Wilma took in a breathe and gripped the edge of the concrete where she began to pull herself up when Lacey suddenly submerged in the water before jumping out of the water like a dolphin breaching the surface and landed on the docks in a three point stance. Shaking any excess water off of her, the sergeant quickly knelt down to where the reindeer faunus was and gripped Wilma's forearm and began to pull her up. Widening her eyes as Lacey pulled her out of the water as if she weighed nothing, Wilma gasped as the former sergeant gently placed her onto solid ground causing the reindeer faunus to inhale and exhale before climbing to her feet.

"Thank you, Lacey," Wilma gratefully told her friend who grinned in response as she took out a vial of wind dust and sprinkled some of it into her hands before narrowing her eyes while the reindeer faunus patiently watched.

Looking around as the wind suddenly picked up in temperature and intensity around them, Wilma glanced at Lacey who bit her lip before holding her palm upward in between them causing a dome of warm, fierce wind to form around them. Confusedly looking at the dome and her friend, Wilma could only watch the display before feeling that her once wet clothes were beginning to dry causing the reindeer faunus to laugh softly, but upon looking at Lacey she widened her eyes as sweat was pouring down Lacey's forehead like a waterfall.

"Lacey, stop! That's enough!" Wilma shouted as she rushed forward and slapped the dust out of her friend's hand causing the dome of air to disperse and for Lacey to collapse onto her knees where she tiredly took in gulps of air while Wilma gripped Lacey's arm and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Maybe using dust when you just took a long walk and a late night swim isn't the best idea," Lacey joked causing the reindeer faunus to chuckle and help her friend to her feet as the former potential huntress took out her scroll while Wilma bewilderedly turned her head to the side when she heard loud, thunderous footsteps in the distance approaching them.

"Okay, the VNN building isn't too far from here and if we're lucky, Mrs. Lavender will still be in her office," Lacey stated as she absentmindedly paced around the docks and got dangerously near the edge of the street while looking down at her scroll as Wilma stepped towards her friend when the booming footsteps caused the ground to shake.

"Oh cool, so if we make right up here, we should get-"

"Look out!" Wilma shouted as she wrapped her arms around Lacey's waist and yanked her back causing the reindeer faunus to fall onto her back while clutching her friend close to her chest before looking up where she saw the ghost and the martial artist from the docks sprint past them while being pursued by a giant mecha.

"Oh wow, thanks Wilma; I nearly got turned into roadkill," Lacey told her friend causing the reindeer faunus to smile as she relinquished her grip on her friend who picked up her scroll and turned on her camera while aiming it at the two fleeing huntsman.

"What do you see?" Wilma curiously asked her friend who shrugged at first, but then saw Lacey widen her eyes in horror before she suddenly started recording causing Wilma to put a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Wilma inquired concernedly as she leaned in closer to see what was happening and upon looking at the screen, the reindeer faunus put a hand over her mouth and stepped back as Lacey glowered hatefully at the huntsman in the distance before she stopped recording and clipped the scroll to her belt.

"They're leading that robot...to the highway? W-why would they do that?" Wilma could barely ask her friend who snarled lowly before taking in a breathe and letting it back out.

"Their first instinct was to get away from the threat which is something I can understand, but as future huntsman, they should have had the foresight to not lead their pursuer to a populated area. Because of their mistake, a lot of people are going to get hurt or killed," Lacey responded with a slight growl causing Wilma to flinch as she heard terrified screams, metal breaking apart, and cars crashing to the ground like bombs causing Lacey to shout furiously and tightly ball her hands into fists.

"The info can wait; we need to help as many people as we can!" Lacey shouted determinedly causing Wilma to nod without any sort of hesitation as the duo sprinted towards the trail of destruction the mecha left in its wake.


	13. Chapter 13 Different Path

Ch.13

Different Path

 _RWBY is the property of its respective owners_

Arriving at their base, Gates and Ashanti walked behind the building and moved aside a chunk of rubble the size of a dumpster off to the side revealing a door behind the police station. With a grunt, Gates managed to pull the old, rusty door open with a loud creak and held it open for Ashanti who nodded and stared at the hunk of rubble. Gritting her teeth, Ashanti bent down and tightly gripped the debris where she used the strength in her legs to lift it up slightly before tugging it towards the back entrance. Making sure to breathe properly, Ashanti slowly, but surely managed to move the rubble backwards leaving drag marks on the dirt as Gates began to slowly close the door when his friend was halfway inside. Seeing only one hand could fit out of the small opening in the door, Ashanti moved to the side and snaked her arm through the gap where she grasped the debris while putting her right leg forward and her left leg back.

Sucking in a breathe, Ashanti let out a yell as she forcefully yanked the debris toward her and heard it impact the old door with a loud bang causing the zebra faunus to wipe the sweat off her brow with the back of her hand. Patting Ashanti's shoulder, Gates walked over to the door and tried to force it open by ramming his shoulder into it and nodded in approval when he saw it wouldn't budge. Giving Ashanti a thumbs-up, he gestured towards the armory causing the zebra faunus to nod as she followed her friend who unlocked the door and did a quick scan of the room before turning to her.

"Alright, the necessities take priority; everything else is secondary," Gates ordered causing Ashanti to nod as she jogged over to a locker and flung it open where she began stuffing her backpack with sealed packs of food and bottles of water.

After a long moment of complete silence with the duo going about filling their backpacks with supplies, the zebra faunus scratched the back of her head and pursed her lips before glancing at Gates who noticed she was looking at him and raised a brow.

"Hey...so about Lacey..." Ashanti awkwardly trailed off causing Gates to check how much space he had left in his backpack before placing medical kits into it and then tying two bedrolls against it.

"What about her?" Gates inquired as he tossed two bedrolls to Ashanti who caught them and tied them around her knapsack while her friend began stuffing food and water into his bag.

"It's just...she said she was only going to fight for her own people, but-"

"I know, and trust me, Lacey knows too, but being denied huntress status because of her heritage made her too bitter to acknowledge it," Gates muttered with a shake of his head while placing clips of ammo into pouches in his pack while tossing some ammo to Ashanti who clipped some to her belt while placing others into pouches in her bag.

"Well...shouldn't we tell her?" Ashanti cautiously pressed causing Gates to sigh as he stood up and grabbed four Great War era rifles out of their lockers and handed two of them to Ashanti causing her to raise a brow.

"We'll tell her when she's ready," Gates responded calmly causing Ashanti to stare at her friend as if he grew a second head before securing the two rifles onto her pack while Gates used some rope to tie the rifles against his bag and handed his friend sacks of ammo for the old rifles.

Wordlessly, Ashanti put the bags of ammo into a pocket in her backpack before zipping it up and slinging it over her shoulder as Gates finished up making sure they had everything they needed before turning to her.

"Okay, we're going to head out the side-" Gates began only to be cut off as a powerful, forceful crash knocked him off his feet while Ashanti staggered off to the side and collided with a locker causing her to grunt before heaving her friend to his feet.

"This day just keeps getting better," Gates muttered irritably as he nodded at the zebra faunus who nodded back as she rushed out of the locker room with her friend behind her and froze in her tracks when she saw the horde of Grimm standing outside the base through the window.

Trembling, Ashanti reluctantly looked out the window and saw a Greater Boarbatusk ramming its bulk into the front entrance while being accompanied by a pack of Beowolves led by two Alphas, a band of Ursa Minors led by one Ursa Major, and a King Taijitu the size of a garbage truck. Suddenly one of the Alpha Beowolves slowly turned its head and glowered at Ashanti through the window with it's demonic, crimson eyes that seemed to be glowing like candles causing Ashanti to yelp.

"Upstairs, upstairs!" Gates roared while dragging his friend up the steps as the double doors, the only thing separating them from the demons, was broken into a million pieces when the Greater Boarbatusk slammed into it once more causing splinters of wood and chunks of concrete to fly everywhere.

This, however, shook Ashanti out of her stupor and ducked underneath some of the debris that nearly impacted her head where they collided with the wall and created small craters on the surface or pierced through the decayed walls like a wet paper bag. Freeing her arm from Gates's grip, Ashanti sprinted up the steps as fast as she could as the Grimm poured into the base like a flood while Gates aimed his rifle at the horde of Grimm. Upon seeing how numerous they were, the former White Fang goon snorted and slung his rifle over his shoulder before running away from the Grimm who were slowly, but surely catching up with them. Unbeknownst to either party, a tall, bulky Alpha Beowolf with various short, but pointed protrusions of milky white bone running along its limbs, a cut running from the side of its mouth all the way up to its ear, and smooth, but sturdy plates of bone adorning its body like plate armor shambled toward the carnage while glaring contemptuously at its brethren.

* * *

"Oh, _now_ they're taking the fight away from the highway!" Lacey shouted disdainfully causing Wilma to raise a brow and follow her friend's gaze where she saw far off in the distance the ghost, her red cloaked friend, a girl with hair as white as snow, and a girl with long, blonde hair that seemed to be on fire fighting the mech with surprising efficiency.

"Well...while they take care of that robot, we can focus on saving people," Wilma reasoned causing Lacey to stop in her tracks and narrow her eyes at the fight taking place in the distance before shaking her head and continuing toward the slaughter left in the mecha's wake.

Raising a brow, Wilma dutifully followed her friend and froze when she saw many wrecked cars lying either on their side or upside down with blood pooling from the shattered windows causing Wilma's blood to run cold before Lacey put a hand on her shoulder.

"Let's check for survivors," Lacey suggested in a tone that was trying to be calm, but Wilma noted her friend's downcast eyes when she looked at the mangled cars causing the reindeer faunus to grip her friend's hand and nod slowly.

Jogging over to one car, Wilma flinched when she saw a woman's neck irregulary twisted like a pretzel while being impaled through her seat by a jagged stick of metal where blood dripped down onto the seat and floor of the car like raindrops causing the reindeer faunus to solemnly shake her head and gently close the woman's eyes. Wilma rushed over to another car and saw a similar grisly sight with a man's head caved in from the impact that looked like a broken coconut spilling its contents onto the steering wheel and upon looking at the backseats, she couldn't help but cry at the sight of seeing what she presumed to be his children with a multitude of nasty bruises and lacerations marring their body with one of their chests caved in while another child had their one of their eyes destroyed from the crash.

Wiping her tears away with her forearm, Wilma shut their eyes closed as well before she continued to look for survivors, but all she would find were more corpses of the victim's who were unfortunate enough to get in the mecha's way. Upon checking the last car in the vicinity, hoping she would finally find someone alive, she was met with another gruesome sight as she saw a teenager no older than seventeen with their arm twisted in the wrong direction and his throat slit on the glass of his car window where blood poured down onto the pavement like a fountain.

Tightly shutting her eyes, Wilma balled her hand into a fist and punched the car as hard as she could causing the automobile to skid across the pavement a few feet before it came to a stop. Taking a deep breathe in and letting it back out, the reindeer faunus approached the car and slowly closed the boy's eyes when she heard footsteps coming toward her. Wilma turned around and saw Lacey approach her with her eyes never leaving the ground and came to a stop a few feet away from the reindeer faunus.

"Anyone?" Wilma pleaded causing the former White Fang sergeant to solemnly shake her head causing the reindeer faunus to close her eyes before she jolted when she felt her friend put a hand on her shoulder.

"I know it's hard, but don't beat yourself up over it. We'll call emergency services and have them pick up the bodies, okay?" Lacey explained calmly causing the reindeer faunus to nod as the former potential huntsman rubbed her friend's shoulder before unclipping her scroll from her belt and entering a code into the scroll.

"911, what is your emergency?" the operator inquired causing Lacey to cast a glance at Wilma who sat on the edge of the curb while staring down at ground with her shoulders slumped before the former sergeant cleared her throat.

"I'd like to report that we came across wrecked cars underneath the highway. They were knocked off by a...mecha that was pursuing two huntsman," Lacey responded causing a moment of silence on the other line with Wilma looking at the battle raging on in the distance before the operator cleared his throat and spoke once more.

"Did you manage to find any survivors?" the operator inquired concernedly causing Lacey to suck in a breathe before letting it back out.

"No, my friend and I checked every car and all we found were dead bodies," Lacey replied grimly causing the operator on the other line to sigh heavily before addressing the young adult.

"All right, I need you two to stay at the sight, okay? I'm sending emergency services now," the operator stated causing the former White Fang sergeant to voice her affirmative before hanging up and sitting down next to the reindeer faunus while putting an arm around Wilma's waist.

Narrowing her eyes at the giant robot, Wilma raised a brow when she saw the White Fang symbol on its shoulder causing the reindeer faunus to nudge her friend's shoulder and point at the mark causing Lacey to gnash her teeth.

"The White Fang already has the lastest weaponry and tech, but sure, give them mechs too," Lacey remarked as Wilma's eyes widened when the mecha brutally punched the blonde haired girl straight through a support pillar causing the girl to violently tumble across the pavement before coming to a stop on her belly where she lay completely still.

"We have to help her!" Wilma shouted as she got up, but raised a brow when her friend grabbed her wrist and shook her head causing the reindeer faunus to tilt her head until her friend pointed at the downed girl.

Gritting her teeth, Wilma concernedly glanced at the downed blonde girl, but her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets when she saw the brawler slowly rise to her feet as her long, blonde hair started to glow brightly as if it were the sun itself and glared at the mech as her crimson eyes seemed to glow like it was a raging fire.

"What the?" was all Wilma could say as the mecha brought its arm back and swung its fist at the girl only for the blonde brawler to stop the punch in its tracks without having to shift her weight causing Wilma's jaw to drop while Lacey raised a brow.

"Hmm...it seems that her semblance is to draw power from the damage she receives and she's on the ghost's team to boot. If they're investigating the White Fang like I'm assuming, then they might be the huntsman team being sent out to Mountain Glenn in six weeks time so we'll have to be careful," Lacey mused as she saw the blonde brawler rip the mecha's arm out of its socket and forcefully whack it with its arm as if it were a baseball bat causing a huge, arm shaped dent on the mech's chassis which made the mecha stagger backwards.

"I think with more training...Ashanti could beat her," Wilma stated while rubbing the back of her head causing Lacey to grunt as the blonde brawler launched a fiery red orb from her gauntlet that impacted the mecha causing it to stumble to the side as large pieces of its shell collapsed onto the ground.

"No offense Wilma, but you're overestimating Ashanti's capabilities while underestimating that blonde girl's abilities. Besides me, the only one in our group who could stand against her is Gates...but even then..." Lacey trailed off as the blonde girl was sent careening backwards with a powerful kick where the ghost threw her pistol attached to a long ribbon to her friend causing her to catch it and shoot at the ground with her gauntlets to gain momentum.

"Then what happens...if we do have to fight them?" Wilma inquired as the red cloaked girl slammed her scythe into the ground and repeatedly fired off shots from an opening at the top of her weapon where the bullets passed through the white haired girl's glyphs before impacting the mecha's feet causing dense, heavy blocks of ice to form around the mecha's legs which greatly weighed it down.

"We fight smart; if we can't beat them up close, then we beat them at a distance," Lacey replied causing the reindeer faunus to raise a brow before nodding as the ghost swung the ribbon forward as hard as she could causing the blonde brawler to bring her arm back and slug the mech with all her might.

Wilma's breathe hitched when she saw the mecha break apart into many pieces sending the familiar bowler hat wearing occupant skidding across the ground like a ball before coming to a stop on his belly. While still being in awe at the devastating display of striking strength from the blonde haired girl, Lacey glowered as Roman shook his head and rose to his feet where he meticulously wiped off any dirt on his suit before putting his bowler hat back on as if being punched out of his mech was a mere inconvenience.

"Lacey, c'mon! Between the six of us, we could get answers from him!" Wilma pleaded as the reindeer faunus began stepping forward only for Lacey to grip her wrist causing the former White Fang goon to stare at her friend confusedly.

"If we did what you said, we would unnecessarily expose ourselves which would make the White Fang aware of our desertion far earlier than we'd want. Besides, he already got away," Lacey calmly rebutted causing Wilma to tilt her head and look back to where the huntsman was and saw Roman standing behind a short girl in an exquisite suit with ice cream colored hair with a wide, smug smirk on her face.

"No, he's not! He's right there!" Wilma retorted incredulously as she tried to wrench her wrist free, but Lacey's grip was like iron as the blond haired girl surged toward the duo and slugged them with a war cry only for Roman and his associate to shatter like glass causing Wilma to widen her eyes.

Feeling a sudden, strong torrent of wind, the duo looked up and saw Roman and his associate in a flying away in a bullhead causing Lacey to look at her pockets containing vials of dust, but shook her head and reluctantly watched the mob boss get away.

"How did you know that Roman and his partner were just illusions?" Wilma inquired causing Lacey to put a hand on her hip and shrug.

"They were reflecting the moon light off of themselves so I knew something was off and seeing them get shattered only confirmed my suspicions," the former potential huntsman explained causing Wilma to raise a brow and think back on the situation before nodding as she saw Lacey fold her arms causing the reindeer faunus to follow her gaze.

Wilma's breathed hitched when she saw the team of huntsman approaching them causing her to tense up and nervously let her arms rest at her sides while the sergeant blankly stared at the four girls.

"Did Adam send you to spy on us?" the ghost bluntly asked the duo as her hand hovered over the hilt of her weapon causing Wilma to see that while the ghost was breathing hard with beads of sweat pouring down her brow, she looked like she still had enough energy for another fight.

Wordlessly, Lacey gestured to the wrecked cars with a sweep of her arm causing the red cloaked girl to stare at the scene in shock as tears welled at her eyes, the ghost to put a hand on the cloaked girl's shoulder while trying to appear strong in the face of such a horrific sight, the blonde haired girl to smash her knuckles together causing a burst of flames to erupt from the impact, and the white haired girl to put a hand over her mouth.

"We only came to Vale to talk to Lisa Lavender, but when we saw cars full of people getting knocked off the highway thanks to you and your martial artist friend, we came here to see if we could find any survivors," Lacey explained with her eyes narrowed causing the black bowed girl to rub the red cloaked girl's back while the blonde brawler growled and stepped in front of Lacey where she glared down at her with bright, crimson eyes.

"Hey, you can't blame Blake and Sun for this! They were just trying to get away from Roman and his crazy mech!" the blonde brawler shouted as her blonde hair glowed a whitish yellow causing Lacey to remain calm in spite of this intimidating display while Wilma helplessly looked between the brawler and her friend.

"By carelessly leading their pursuer to a populated area," Lacey countered causing the blonde haired girl to ball her hands into fists while the former sergeant subtly brought her hands up before the ghost put a hand on her comrade's shoulder.

Raising a brow, the ghost shot her partner a look causing the brawler to glare at Lacey and then back at her friend before nodding and backing off causing the girl with the black bow to step forward and put a hand on her hip.

"No Yang...she's right. I know it was a bad decision in the heat of the moment and if I could take it back, I would," Blake conceded causing Wilma's eyes to light up and hopefully glance at her friend, but her face fell when she saw Lacey's glare not waver upon hearing these words.

"I'm sure the families of the victims will appreciate that," Lacey coldly retorted causing Wilma to stare at her friend with wide eyes while the ghost merely raised a brow before the white haired girl stormed toward the sergeant and got right in her face causing Lacey to shift her attention to the slightly shorter girl in front of her.

"Alright, you want to accuse Blake of being responsible for their deaths, then let's talk about the blood on your hands! Did you know about the awful things the White Fang did before you joined up with them?" the white haired girl fearlessly questioned the former potential huntsman like a police interrogator which caused Wilma to jolt at this girl's audacity, but Lacey remained as cool as a statue and put her hands on her hips.

"I did," Lacey calmly responded causing Wilma to see a smirk grace the white haired girl's face ever so slightly before it disappeared behind a scowl and pointed her index finger right at Lacey's nose causing the reindeer faunus to clasp her hands together.

"Then you have no absolutely no right to talk to Blake like that since you tolerated the countless war crimes the White Fang committed so long as it benefited you!" the white haired girl rebutted causing Lacey to glare at the girl before raising a brow and chuckling under her breathe causing Wilma to stare at her friend strangely.

"Okay _Weiss,_ you want to talk to me from the moral high ground? Fine, but it's funny how you mention I tolerated what the White Fang did when that's exactly what you're doing with the SDC until you inherit your daddy's money. Remind me again, which company in Atlas has a seat on the council, significant sway when it comes to public policy, and is responsible for sweeping the deaths of their workers under the rug?" Lacey mocked with a smirk on her face causing the heiress to gnash her teeth as a faint, icy white glyph formed behind the heiress causing the former sergeant to tense her muscles while Wilma stepped back.

"You don't know me," Weiss stated in a deathly cold tone causing a strong, but brief blizzard to appear around the area before it and the glyph disappeared causing Wilma to anxiously glance at her friend, but to her dismay saw Lacey snort.

"Don't I? Let me guess, the only reason why you're trying to stop the White Fang is because it's hurting the SDC's profit margins, right? You could care less about how many lives are lost, you just need to stop the White Fang so you still have customers to buy your products," Lacey retorted causing the red cloaked girl to suddenly zip right in front of Lacey's face while leaving a trail of rose petals behind her causing the former sergeant to jolt while Wilma jumped back and stared at the shorter girl and the spot she use to be in.

"Leave Weiss alone! I'll admit she can be arrogant and a bit of a jerk, but she's trying to be a better person so give her a break!" the red cloaked girl passionately defended her friend while standing on her tippy toes and attempting to give the former potential huntress the same, fierce glare Blake and Weiss gave Lacey, but it didn't quite compare to her friends.

While she did stare at the red cloaked girl for a moment, Wilma saw Lacey open her mouth to retort causing the reindeer faunus to calmly, but firmly clasp her friend's shoulder which made the former sergeant stare at Wilma with her head tilted.

"Lacey, please stop. I don't like the SDC as much as the next faunus, but if Weiss is trying to be a huntress, then she can't be all that bad," Wilma reasoned causing the sergeant to release a puff of air from her nostrils before sighing softly and nodding in response.

In turn, the red cloaked girl shot the blonde brawler a look when she aggressively stepped toward Lacey who glanced at her with her hands clenched and then at the former sergeant before reluctantly stepping back with a scowl on her face. Sucking in a breathe and letting it back out, the red cloaked girl calmly approached the duo and scratched the back of her head.

"Uh...hi, I'm Ruby," the shorter girl said suddenly while the blonde brawler warily glanced at Lacey who blankly looked back at her before she huffed and stepped forward with her hands on her hips.

"I'm Yang," the brawler stated with a slight snarl while not taking her eyes off of Lacey who ignored her while the ghost folded her arms and cautiously stared at the two former White Fang soldiers like they were going to attack at any moment.

"Blake," the black cat said gruffly before going back to analyzing the duo making Wilma feel uncomfortable while Weiss and Lacey glared at one another before the heiress stared at the reindeer faunus warily.

"I'm Weiss Schnee, and unlike your friend, you seem to have some manners. Pleased to make your acquaintance," the heiress introduced herself to the reindeer faunus with a brief, courteous bow causing Wilma to return the gesture as best she could before awkwardly gripping her arm.

"I-I'm Wilma, and this is my friend Lacey," the reindeer faunus hesitantly answered as Lacey gave a quick, short nod at the four huntsman with only Yang and Ruby returning the gesture as Ruby extended her hand to Wilma with a warm smile on her face causing the reindeer faunus to widen her eyes.

"Well, it's nice to meet you two. You know, I never really get the chance to talk to White Fang soldiers since they're always trying to attack us and all," Ruby remarked as Wilma's breathe hitched before slowly reaching out and hesitantly gripping the shorter girl's hand causing Ruby to shake Wilma's hand.

Jolting and looking between Ruby and her hand, the reindeer faunus continued to stare at her interlocked hand in shock before something inside her told that this girl, this _human_ girl, could be trusted. Allowing a grin to form on her face, Wilma chuckled softly and returned the gesture causing Lacey to smile warmly for a brief moment before tapping her friend's shoulder causing Wilma to raise a brow and release her grip on Ruby's hand.

"We should get going," Lacey informed the reindeer faunus causing Wilma's eyes to light up and nod as she politely waved goodbye to huntsman team before Ruby suddenly spoke up.

"You guys said you were going to talk to Lisa Lavender...why? I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but it would be nice if you did," Ruby pressed causing Wilma to scratch the back of her neck and glance at Lacey who huffed before hesitantly nodding.

"Okay, listen up. We think the White Fang is planning to breach Vale via the railroad tracks underneath Mountain Glenn and the dust stolen from the docks and military outpost is going to be used in one big bomb or several smaller ones. The good thing is that the railroad tracks are covered with debris and by now, the White Fang probably only cleared one of the stations so we still have time to shut them down," Lacey began causing the team of huntsman to widen their eyes before looking at one another while Wilma jolted when she suddenly heard the faint echo of sirens in the distance causing the former sergeant to curse under her breathe.

"Long story short, that's what we want to tell Lisa Lavender along with some info on the White Fang. If you do go to Mountain Glenn, don't let Roman Torchwick know you're there or else he might start the breach prematurely to cover his tracks. If your headmaster asks where you got this information...tell him Lacey of Mantle's 3rd trainee squad told you," Lacey quickly informed the team of huntsman causing Ruby to nod at what the former potential huntsman said causing Wilma and Lacey to run away from the scene as the wail of the sirens got closer.

"Wait, you can come with us to Beacon! Professor Ozpin will be able to protect you guys from the White Fang!" Ruby shouted which made Lacey stop in her tracks causing Wilma to raise a brow as she anxiously looked at her friend and the huntsman team as the emergency service vehicles were now within sight.

"Just because we're not on the White Fang's side...doesn't mean we're on the huntsman's side either," Lacey replied coolly leaving Ruby speechless as she ran way from the sight as the emergency vehicles arrived on the scene as Wilma just stood there while looking between the huntsman team and her friend.

Waving goodbye to the huntsman, Wilma turned on her heel and followed her friend causing Ruby to reach out to her before letting her hand fall to her side as the first responders began to secure the area while a police office approached the four girls with a notepad in hand.


	14. Chapter 14 Survival

Ch.14

Survival

 _RWBY is the property of its respective owners_

 _Ocs belong to me_

"Alright, we're here. Let's take a moment to rest," Lacey stated as she and Wilma jogged into the alley behind the VNN building causing the reindeer faunus to nod and sit down against the wall where she looked up at the dark, star filled sky in awe.

"You see that formation of stars up there? That's Orion the Hunter; see, those are legs and that his bow...I think," Lacey added while scratching the back of her head causing Wilma to chuckle under her breathe as she looked at the star cluster her friend pointed out more closely.

"Okay, I'm going to sneak into Lisa's office and give her the info; you can stay here and tell me if someone's coming," the ex-sergeant told her friend causing the reindeer faunus to dutifully nod as Lacey made sure her scroll was attached to her belt and her White Fang mask, Wilma's White Fang mask, and their uniforms were in the small bag she brought with her.

Nodding, Lacey knelt down and began to sneak toward the VNN building when Wilma clasped her friend's shoulder causing Lacey to raise a brow and look over her shoulder at the stout faunus who rubbed the back of her head.

"Um...how will I let you know if someone's coming if you're in there and I'm out here?" Wilma inquired while tilting her head causing Lacey's eyes to go wide before she regained her composure and put a hand on her chin while pacing around the alley as the reindeer faunus patiently watched her.

Snapping her fingers, Lacey turned to her friend with a wide smile causing Wilma to raise a brow as the former huntsman recruit picked up a couple of pebbles and placed them into Wilma's hand causing the reindeer faunus to blankly stare at the pebbles and then at Lacey who gave her a thumbs-up. Sighing softly, Wilma stared down at the floor and returned the gesture causing Lacey to pat Wilma's shoulder before she knelt down once more.

"Don't worry, it's not going to take long," Lacey assured her friend causing Wilma to nod just as they both heard the sound of a gun cocking and slow, but intimidating footsteps that made small echoes trudging toward them like a predator closing in on its weakened prey.

Turning her head, the reindeer faunus saw a lavender haired woman wearing a thick scarf around her neck and a simple business suit emerge out of the darkness with her hand cannon aimed at the duo causing Wilma to yelp and raise her hands while Lacey slowly raised her arms as well.

"What info do you think is so important that it means you can break into my office and endanger my coworkers, some of whom are my friends?" Lisa interrogated the duo causing Lacey to sigh softly and slowly step forward causing the reported to narrow her eyes while Wilma anxiously looked between her friend and the reporter.

"Information pertaining to the White Fang and...something else I can't say without it being recorded and possibly falling into the wrong hands," Lacey calmly explained while keeping her hands up causing the reporter to raise a brow before hesitantly lowering her gun causing Lacey to smile ever so slightly while Wilma sighed in relief.

"Let's not talk here; We can go the police station and you two can explain yourselves there," Lisa ordered while motioning for the two to move which they did as Wilma and Lacey walked side by side while the reporter kept a respectable distance between them while putting her pistol back in her purse.

"Not exactly what I had intended, but we can make this work," Lacey whispered to the reindeer faunus who pursed her lips and stole a quick glance at the reporter who gave her a stone cold glare in response causing Wilma to jolt and stare straight ahead.

"Well, you wanted to talk to her and now you're getting the chance," Wilma muttered back causing the former huntsman recruit to nod and softly sigh as Lisa beckoned them to move left which the duo did.

* * *

Diving through the double doors, Ashanti frantically crawled towards Gates who fired off a couple of shots from his rifle that pierced right through the skull of a Lesser Beowolf like a hot knife through butter, straight through the chest of an Ursa Minor where the heart would be in a human where the bullet tore through the monster's chest like a wet paper bag, and through the neck of another Lesser Beowolf with absolutely no resistance. Breathing heavily, Ashanti saw the first Lesser Beowolf awkwardly stumble forward before falling onto its face, the Ursa Minor stagger back while clutching its chest before sliding down the wall, and the second Lesser Beowolf go limp and skid across the floor face first causing a long, black streak blood to get onto the floor.

Ashanti's blood went as cold as ice when she saw the monsters, in spite of their bullet wounds, get up with low, angry growls as the holes in their chests slowly sealed up causing the zebra faunus to yelp and scoot back. She shook herself out her stupor when Gates popped off more rounds and slammed the door shut where he slid a metal pipe between the handles of the doors and took that moment to catch his breathe.

"Ashanti, c'mon. There's some windows we can jump out of in the bathrooms," Gates informed her while grabbing her arm and hauling her to her feet where Ashanti gasped as the creatures of Grimm began banging against the door with the metal pipe beginning to give way.

"W-we're going to jump!?" Ashanti incredulously asked Gates as they began sprinting down the hallway as the zebra faunus brought her rifle up to bear just as she heard the door Gates had barricaded break apart with a loud bang causing her to shudder.

"We don't have a lot of options-make a right!" Gates roared as another group of Grimm consisting of Lesser Beowolves and Ursa Minors surged toward them causing Ashanti to grit her teeth and squeeze the trigger of her rifle.

Unfortunately, all of Ashanti's shots either missed outright or merely grazed the creatures of Grimm which in their berserker state didn't even faze them as they continued to charge toward their prey. Gates had more luck in that all of his shots managed to hit vital areas on the demons like the skull, eye, and throat, but like with the Grimm they encountered earlier, they managed to get up from what were suppose to be kill shots. Gnashing his teeth, Gates beckoned Ashanti to follow him which she did where they duo made a right...only for another group of Grimm to cut them off and eye them hungrily.

"Damn it, go left!" Gates yelled as opted to shoot the creatures of Grimm in their kneecaps causing the monsters to yelp as they fell onto their bellies, but determinedly used their arms to pull themselves toward the duo in spite of their injuries.

Ashanti brought her rifle up to bear and pulled the trigger while quickly moving left as the bullets she let fly for the most part went off target, but did manage to knick an Ursa Minor in the shoulder which the demon was quick to shrug off as if it had been stung by an annoying insect rather than being hit by a high velocity projectile. Narrowing his eyes, Gates gently pushed Ashanti back causing the zebra faunus to defiantly shake her head and stubbornly remain rooted to the spot, but a quick glare from Gates caused her to gulp and reluctantly step back. Seeing Gates cycle the dust chamber to fire dust, her eyes widened when the dust imbued bullets flew through the air like miniature comets and impacted the group of Grimm like tiny bombs. Ashanti managed to keep her jaw from dropping when she saw the hot pieces of lead erupt into a malestrom of sharpnel and hellish flames that shredded some of the Grimm to pieces like a buzzsaw and engulfed the others in an ocean of reddish-orange fire that burnt the flesh right off their bodies. Ashanti, however, gasped when she saw some of the creatures of Grimm, in spite of either having entire limbs blown off, large parts of their body scorched, or both slowly get back up to their feet while inside the inferno and glower at the duo with their red, piercing eyes.

"Let's go!" Gates shouted causing Ashanti to nod as she sprinted down the hall away from the horde of Grimm and upon looking over her shoulder, she balked when the monsters lept out of the searing hot flames with a furious howl and rush toward them as fast as they could.

"Alright, we can still make it to the bathrooms-damn it! Go right!" Gates hollered as yet another pack of Grimm intercepted them causing Ashanti to turn on a dime and sprint left as Gates laid down cover fire with the fire dust bullets causing another series of small, yet powerful explosions.

Nearly all of the Lesser Beowolves were ripped to shreds or burnt to death in the ensuing blast while the Ursa Minors survived albeit with most of their flesh burned off, but this only spurned the creatues of Grimm on as they resumed the chase intent on returning the pain they had received to Gates and Ashanti a hundred fold.

"In here," Gates signaled as he gently, but firmly pushed Ashanti into a big room that appeared to be an office with a large amount of broken or decayed cubicles causing the zebra faunus to stagger forward before standing off to the side of the room and pointing her rifle at the door as Gates slammed it shut.

Not a moment after that, Ashanti tightly gripped her shirt as the ravenous, furious footsteps and snarls of the Grimm passed by them like an angry mob searching for blood causing Gates to put his ear against the wall while holding up his hand. After what seemed like an eternity, Gates put his hand down causing the zebra faunus to softly sigh as her friend gestured to a big, wooden desk and gripped it causing Ashanti to nod. Grasping the desk, she pulled it up with Gates's help and slowly moved over to the door where they silently set it down against the door causing Gates to wipe the sweat off his brow. For the next few minutes, the duo went about placing the desks, cubicles, chairs, and any other stray pieces of rubble against the door all while doing their best to not alert the Grimm currently patrolling the halls for their quarry.

Putting the last chair against the makeshift barricade, Ashanti sighed heavily before sliding down the wall and sitting down the floor where she hugged her legs close to her chest as Gates sat down next to her while resting his rifle on his lap.

"How are you holding up?" Gates asked Ashanti causing the zebra faunus to give a half-hearted shrug in response causing her Gates to raise a brow, but said nothing as he leaned back aagainst the wall.

"As best as I can do in this situation," Ashanti quietly murmured causing Gates to rub her back as what he assumed to be a Beowolf let out a howl down the hall before scurrying toward...something.

"I know; between the Elder Grimm coordinating the Younger Grimm to funnel us into a killzone and the King Taijitu and the Greater Boarbatusk waiting for us out front, I honestly don't think we're going to make it out of this alive. But I'm not about to just roll over and die and I know you're not either," Gates softly, but determinedly told his friend causing Ashanti to glance down at her burnt, worn out combat boots while hearing more of the ravenous Grimm howl and charge down the hall at some sort of unseen foe.

"Elder Grimm...can do that?" Ashanti inquired in a tone barely above a whisper causing Gates to solemnly nod as they both heard some of the Lesser Beowolves and Ursa Minors screech in pain far away from their position.

"...Yeah, they can; and it's why so many people are getting killed by them. They still think Grimm are these wild, but predictable monsters when it turns out they let themselves walk it the trap you set up so they can ambush _you_ ," Gates responded as he took a deep breathe in and let it back out as Ashanti heard what seemed to be meat being ripped apart which elicited a sharp, agonizing wail from one of the Grimm.

"What do you think is attacking the Grimm?" Ashanti asked causing Gates to shrug and stretch his legs as the zebra faunus jolted when she heard a far off in the distance of what appeared to be some sort of cleaver hacking away at the Grimm like a butcher.

"Don't know. It can't be the White Fang because Adam and the benefactor have nothing to lose by letting us die, the Valean Militia because they wouldn't risk encroaching on the White Fang's potential base of operations when they're so few in number, and it can't be the tin men because they're not going to waste resources taking out a large group of Grimm that's ignoring them in the first place," Gates bluntly responded causing Ashanti to groan and hug her legs tighter as her friend rubbed her back.

"Gates?" Ashanti asked causing Gates to raise a brow before softening his gaze as he saw tears drip down Ashanti's face and onto the floor causing him to scoot closer to her and put an arm around her shoulder.

"Yeah?" Gates replied as Ashanti closed her eyes tightly and ground her teeth before releasing a soft breathe and staring directly at her friend with red, teary eyes.

"I'm scared," Ashanti admitted in a faint, distant tone causing Gates to exhale as he allowed the zebra faunus to rest her head on his shoulder while he opted to lean his head back against the wall and gazed at the door which was the only thing separating them from the monsters outside.

"...Yeah...I am too,"Gates replied while keeping a tight grip on his rifle as Ashanti placed her gun on the floor and took out the standard issue White Fang sword and firmly grasped it like a child would do with a stuffed animal.

* * *

Pushing open the doors to the police station, Wilma and Lacey stepped into the building with their hands behind their head causing the receptionist to raise a brow before narrowing his eyes as Lisa slowly walked into the building with her hand still gripping the handle of her hand cannon inside her purse.

"Lisa, don't tell me you're trying to be a vigilante?" the receptionist remarked causing the reporter to shake her head while continuing to keep herself a fair distance away from the two former White Fang soldiers.

"Of course not; these two claim they have information pertaining to the White Fang and a potential breach so I want see if their info is legitimate," Lisa responded causing the receptionist to slowly nod and regard the two girls warily causing Wilma to uncomfortably look away while Lacey blankly stared at the older man.

"Well, before I do anything, I have to make sure they aren't carrying any weapons with them and I'm going to have ask that your hand cannon stays with me for the time being," the receptionist informed Lisa causing the reporter to nod causing the receptionist to gesture to a couple of officers who stepped away from the counter protected by bullet proof glass.

Opening the door next to the front desk separating the front of the counter from the rest of the building, two of the officers gestured at Wilma and Lacey to put their hands on the wall causing the two girls to comply with the order while Lisa took her hand cannon out of her purse with the barrel pointed down at the floor and handed it to the other cop. Muffling a squeak and blushing as the officer began patting her down, Wilma closed her eyes and hoped the process would be over soon while Lacey silently hummed as the officer confiscated the vials of dust in her pockets. Taking her bag off of her shoulders, the cop ruffled through its contents and widened his eyes when he saw the White Fang masks and uniforms in the bag. Zipping it up, he unclipped the scroll from Lacey's belt and inspected it while the officer searching Wilma followed suit as Lisa cautiously regarded the two girls with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Bringing your White Fang regalia wasn't exactly your smartest move, kid," the police officer inspecting Lacey offhandedly stated while checking her scroll for any potential viruses or any other harmful cyber programs that could put the police station at risk.

"My friend and I thought it was the only way we could convince Lisa we were actual White Fang soldiers and not just some stupid kids playing dress up," Lacey responded with a shrug causing the officer to grunt as he put Lacey's scroll in her bag while the other cop examining Wilma nodded and clipped her scroll to his belt.

"They're clean," the officer informed Lisa causing the reporter to nod as the receptionist motioned at Wilma and Lacey with his head causing the officers to nod and handcuff the girls causing the reindeer faunus to resist the urge to struggle while Lacey fought back the urge to roll her eyes.

"Alright Lisa, you can talk to them in one of our interrogation rooms, but you're going to be recorded so anything you hear from these girls, we'll hear as well," the receptionist informed the reporter causing Wilma to uncertainly look at Lacey who smiled assuringly at her and nodded as Lisa moved some of the hair away from her face.

"That's fine, James. Thank you," Lisa replied causing the receptionist to smile ever so slightly as the officers tightly gripped Wilma and Lacey's arms causing the reindeer faunus to hiss under her breathe while Lacey grunted, but otherwise kept her face cool and collected.

"Of course, Lisa; you've always helped the police out so this is the least we can do," James responded causing the reporter to grin as Wilma yelped when the cops suddenly dragged her and Lacey forward like they were dogs on leashes through the door and further into the building.

Wilma took in her surroundings and saw that the police station was similar in design to the one her friends had used as a base, but before she could examine the interior further, she raised a brow as the officer guiding Lacey opened the door to a room before lightly pushing her friend inside. Gasping as she felt the officer behind her softly shove her into the room, Wilma stifled an irritated growl as the cop sat her down in a chair and undid the handcuffs behind her back causing the reindeer faunus to sigh in relief. Before she could rub her wrists, Wilma's eyes widened when the officer slapped one of the cuffs onto her wrist, slid the other through a loop on the steel table, and attached the other cuff to her wrist.

Grumbling, Wilma glanced at Lacey who remained as stonefaced as ever when the cop watching over her like a hawk undid her restraints before putting them on yet again and attaching them to the loop on the table causing Lacey to raise a brow. Checking to make sure the restraints were on tight, the officers looked at Lisa and gestured to the open seat on the table causing Lisa to approach the table as the officers stood against the wall with their arms folded and warily gazed at the two girls like they were going to attack the reporter at any moment. Wincing, Wilma stared down at the table and crossed her legs as she heard Lisa pull back the spare chair and sat down. Taking this moment to stare at Lacey, Wilma saw her friend clear her throat and sit up straight before clasping her hands together causing the reporter to narrow her eyes as she put her scroll on the table and set it to record.

"Okay you two, let's talk," Lisa stated in a calm, but firm tone of voice causing a ghost of a smile to form on Lacey's lips while Wilma nervously sighed before reluctantly picking her head up and staring at the woman across the table.

* * *

Roaring furiously, the battle damaged Alpha Beowolf gripped the head of an Ursa Minor and compressed it like it was trying to crush a lump of coal into a diamond causing its kin to let out a brief, agonizing wail before its skull was splattered into many bits of jet black flash. The Elder Grimm watched as its victims, the now headless Ursa Minor, a Lesser Beowolf whose arms were torn right from its sockets, another Lesser Beowolf whose head and chest were marred with grizzly indents caused by one of the torn off arms, and an Ursa Minor with the arm of the Lesser Beowolf shoved down its throat and through the back of its skull began to dissolve into mist. Kicking the still decomposing corpses of its kin out of the way, the battle damaged Alpha Beowolf trudged through the halls of the base and sniffed the air for the scent of Wilma and Lacey, but could only find the scents of Ashanti and Gates.

This caused the battle damaged Alpha Beowolf to frown, but continue to follow the scents of the only two available members of the pack. Lacey wouldn't abandon her packmates, at least that's what the creature of Grimm thought after subtly observing her and her pack from afar, so where had she along with Wilma gone? It had heard of the her plan to warn the humans in Vale of the White Fang's attack, but thought she had intended to grow stronger before doing so. Unless...she and her packmates decided that informing the humans in Vale earlier was for the best which was a move the Elder Grimm approved of.

Protecting Lacey and her packmates against its younger, weaker kin was easy, but fighting against its more experienced, and stronger brethren was taxing and didn't know if it could have kept up controlling the amount of Grimm Lacey and her packmates fought against over the period of time she had wanted. If Wilma and Lacey did indeed go into Vale to warn the humans like it suspected, then all the demon would have to focus on is rescuing Ashanti and Gates causing the battle damaged Alpha Beowolf to hasten its pace and move up the stairs before taking cover behind a wall as a hunting party passed by it none the wiser that it was there.

Crouching down, the battle damaged Alpha Beowolf swiftly, but silently sprinted out of cover and lept off the wall where it cleanly decapitated an Ursa Minor with a vicious swipe of its claws and landed in a roll in front of the hunting party just as the head of the deceased, demonic bear rolled in front of its brethren's feet. Looking down at the head, all the Younger Grimm could do was stare at one another with their heads tilted before the betrayer went on the attack and yanked the entire arm of an Ursa Minor right out of its socket causing a large spray of jet black blood to paint the walls. The Ursa Minor screeched in pain and fell onto its back as the battle damaged Alpha Beowolf took advantage of its younger brethren's confusion and swung the arm like a baseball bat across the jaw of one of its younger kin causing a sickening crack that made dislocated the lower portion of the Lesser's Beowolf's jaw.

Staggering back, the Lesser Beowolf gripped its mouth just as its elder brethren plunged its makeshift weapon straight through the throat of the Lesser Beowolf causing the hellhound to clutch its throat and gargle erratically. Slumping against the wall, the Lesser Beowolf lay still as pitch black, tar like blood poured out of its mouth and the hole in its throat and down the wall. The sole remaining member of the hunting party, another Lesser Beowolf, confusedly stared at its elder kin and then at the dead members of its pack before barring its teeth and lunging at the battle damaged Alpha Beowolf with reckless abandon. Readying itself, the elder Grimm easily sidestepped a wild, undisciplined claw swipe at its face and tightly gripped the sides of the head of the Lesser Beowolf before forcefully stomping on the foot of its younger kin. Yowling as its foot was savagely crushed underfoot, all the Lesser Beowolf could do was snarl at the battle damaged Alpha Beowolf for the briefest of moments before the Elder Grimm squished its head between its hands causing black blood to splatter onto its coat and for chunks of flesh to fall onto the ground. Throwing the headless body of its younger brethren aside like it was a piece of garbage, the Elder Grimm quickly opened a door and quietly shut it behind it as the howls and heavy breathing of its younger brethren was audible even behind the door as they charged down the hall no doubt being sent by the Alphas to search for it.

Making sure the search party was a good distance away, the elder Grimm opened the door a crack and upon seeing no threats, crouched down and crept forward as swiftly and silently as its posture would allow. Hiding behind a wall where it sensed the majority of its kin's presence down the hall, the Elder Grimm carefully peeked out of cover and saw the two Alpha Beowolves, the two Ursa Majors, and what looked like the remaining members of the horde which would number in the twenties standing in front of a particular door.

" _The Beta and the Brute are in this room, but the Alpha and the Confidant are nowhere to be found_ ," one of the Alpha Beowolves growled at its partner causing the battle damaged creature of Grimm to frown, but kept quiet as the other Alpha snapped at its cohort's neck causing the hell hound to reel back and bare its teeth.

" _We kill them then, but not before making them tell us where the Alpha is. Nuckelavee doesn't want anything to stop our brethren trapped in the tunnels being freed_ ," the other Alpha Beowolf barked back causing the first Alpha to swipe at its partner's face with its razor sharp claws that harmlessly raked down the protective bony plate on its comrade's skull.

The betrayer tightly clenched its hand and quietly huffed as it did its best to memorize the positions its fellow Alphas, the Ursa Majors, and the scores of its younger brethren were in before ducking back into cover while considering its options. A direct assault was folly, taking down its ignorant kin one by one was completely unfeasible at this point, and attempting to find a different entrance into the room Ashanti and Gates were in would take too much time.

" _Break down the door; The rest of you either stand guard or find out whatever it is that's hunting us_ ," the first Alpha Beowolf snarled at the Ursa Majors and the group of its younger brethren causing the demonic bears to slam their bulk against the door which caused the building to shake, swiping their razor sharp claws at the door which shaved off large bits of wood, and chomping down and spitting out any exposed parts.

To the battle damaged Alpha Beowolf's surprise, the door was holding which made the malevolent Elder Grimm howl furiously and redouble their efforts to gain entry into the room, but a deafening crack like thunder caused one of the Ursa Major's to wail and stagger back while clutching its eye. The combat scarred pursed its lips and nodded when it saw the destroyed membrane leaking torrents of jet black blood that streamed between the claws of the demonic bear and onto the ground. It almost felt sorry for the injured Ursa Major when its partner forcefully swatted the back of its head and angrily gestured at the barricaded door. Going back into cover when some of its younger brethren charged down the hall like there was fresh meat at the end of it, the betrayer pondered what it could do to help before a feral smirk wormed its way onto its face as it saw empty bullet shells lying on the floor.

Grabbing a small chunk of concrete lying at its feet, the combat scarred Alpha Beowolf forcefully threw its makeshift projectile down the hall causing some of its younger brethren to roar furiously and surge towards the source of the noise causing the building to lightly shake. Carefully peeking out of cover, the betrayer silently sprinted out of cover and crept down the hall when it saw the two Alpha Beowolves briefly turn their heads to where the noise originated, but ultimately sent more of its younger kin to deal with the potential nuisance. Letting a patrol of its younger brethren pass, the combat scarred Alpha Beowolf sneaked through the halls and let more of its younger kin go past it before coming upon the wrecked stairs.

Making sure that the King Taijitu and Greater Boarbatusk's attention was elsewhere first, the elder Grimm proceeded to tiptoe down the stairs and made sure to only follow the recently made scents of Ashanti and Gates. Crouching down and hiding behind the stairs when the King Taijitu swung its giant heads in its direction, the battle damaged Alpha Beowolf waited for the giant snake to turn around before sniffing the air and turning its head in the direction of the smell where it led to a door on the side of the stairs.

Silently creeping up to the door, the Elder Grimm firmly gripped the handle and quickly yanked it off like it was a bandaid which made the King Taijitu and Greater Boarbatusk snap their heads in the direction of the noise, but saw nothing. Snorting, the two malevolent Grimm turned back around causing the betrayer to emerge from its hiding place behind the staircase and enter the room where it set the handle of the door on a nearby bench. Upon seeing the plethroa of weapons either stuffed in lockers or still in their boxes, the Elder Grimm focused its hearing on the status of the barricaded door and sighed in relief when it heard the Ursa Majors pounding away at the surprisingly sturdy door.

Knowing it had to work fast, the betrayer sprinted towards the locker and crumpled the doors like paper where it took out eight muskets and a sack of round shots for the old weapons. Going to work loading the rifles, the betrayer hoped Ashanti and Gates could hold on for a little while longer so it would be able to neutralize both its kin assailing the door and any stragglers left over.


	15. Chapter 15 Ground Up

Ch.15

Ground Up

 _RWBY is the property of its respective owners, Ocs belong to me_

Groaning, Ashanti's eyes groggily fluttered open and let out a soft yawn causing Gates to stir from his slumber where he rubbed his face before pointing his rifle at the door as if it were going to break down at any moment. Stretching her stiff limbs, Ashanti let out a moan before leaning back against the wall and holding her sword in such a way that if the Grimm were to breach the room, she would at least be able to bring her blade up to defend herself and Gates.

"What time is it?" Ashanti inquired causing Gates to glance at the shattered moon through one the window before staring back at his friend while the zebra faunus jolted when she heard more Grimm felled by their unknown ally.

"Midnight give or take," Gates replied causing the zebra faunus to raise a brow and tilt her head causing her friend to beckon her to stare out of the broken window and look at the shattered moon which she did.

"Okay, we see the moon up in the sky for twelve hours and then we don't for another twelve hours. So by using multiples of 3, we're able to roughly determine the time which means by the time it's up in the middle of the sky, it's midnight...I think," Gates explained to his friend as best he could causing Ashanti to scratch the side of her head and then look down at her combat boots with her shoulders slumped.

"All that tells me is that we're either living on borrowed time or the Grimm are just toying with us," Ashanti grumbled miserably causing her friend to gently rub her back causing Ashanti to blankly glance at Gates who firmly clasped her shoulder.

"Look, if I was one of the Elder Grimm, this room would have been the first one I checked, but that thing out there is giving us a fighting chance even if it's not much of one," Gates pointed out causing the zebra faunus to groan and stretch one of her legs outward before folding her arms causing Gates to raise a brow.

"That doesn't make me feel better," Ashanti bluntly replied causing her friend to chuckle under his breathe and climb to his feet causing the zebra faunus to slowly clamber to her feet before putting her hands on her hips.

"I know, Ash; like I said, it's not much, but it's the only silver lining we're going to get," Gates responded with a shrug as he patted her arm before slowly pacing around the room while Ashanti frowned.

"Maybe we can work on something with the little time we have...like your aim," Gates quipped with sly grin causing Ashanti's eyes to widen before she balled her hand into a fist with her teeth gnashed together in a angry, irritated smile.

With her brow twitching, the zebra faunus playfully slugged her friend in the shoulder with a stiff, restrained jab causing Gates to hold his hands up in mock surrender as Ashanti advanced toward him.

"Don't be a jerk," Ashanti retorted with a smirk on her face causing her friend to shrug innocently and gently set his rifle down where he quickly put Ashanti in a gentle, but firm headlock and proceeded to lightly drag his knuckles across the crown of her skull.

"I'm not trying to be," Gates remarked as the zebra faunus laughed quietly and tried to break free from the hold as her friend suddenly released her causing Ashanti to rub the back of her neck with a warm smile on her face before folding her arms.

"Should we contact Wilma and Lacey?" the burly faunus inquired causing her friend to shake his head and stretch his arms causing Ashanti to tilt her head.

"No, we can't risk it. No one in White Fang High Command will believe any lie I come up with to explain Wilma and Lacey's absence this early in the morning so that would just put our friends in even more danger. If we die here, then we die buying time for our friends," Gates responded in a calm, but firm tone with fire in his eyes causing Ashanti to take a deep breathe in and let it back out before tightening her grip on her sword.

"Alright," Ashanti agreed just as she and Gates heard what seemed to be a mob of footsteps gathering outside the barricaded door causing her friend to narrow his eyes and immediately get to his feet while pointing his rifle at the door.

Sighing, Ashanti knelt down and picked up her rifle...before extending it towards Gates causing him to raise a brow while the zebra faunus put a hand on her hip.

"I'm no good with a gun and in a situation like this, we have to make every shot count. Just give me your sword so that way I can be useful," Ashanti requested causing her friend to shake his head making the zebra faunus frown before she jolted as something that sounded like a freight trained collided with the barricaded door causing her to bring her sword up.

"I know you're not a good a shot, but with fire dust you don't have to be. Just aim near them instead of at them and you'll do fine," Gates assured her causing Ashanti to gnash her teeth and uncertainly glance at her rifle just as part of the door was ripped right off like it was a sheet of paper where a large, hulking Ursa Major glared through the big crack in the door...only for Gates to shoot it right in the eye.

As the monster let out an agonizing howl and staggered back while clutching its face, Ashanti stared down at the gun in her hands before sighing softly and looking up at her friend with her eyes narrowed.

"Okay," Ashanti conceded while tightening the grip on her rifle causing Gates to nod and point at a cubicle near the corner of the room causing the zebra faunus to take cover behind it and cycle the dust chamber in her rifle to use fire dust.

Jumping over a desk located at another corner of the room across from Ashanti, Gates knelt down and aimed his gun at the door as another forceful charge from the Grimm caused the door to buckle and bend forward with a loud snap. Checking to make sure his rifle was using fire dust, Gates positioned himself so he was facing the door at an angle causing the zebra faunus to raise a brow before mimicking what he did.

"We fire on my mark," Gates instructed causing Ashanti to dutifully nod as the Grimm continued to batter away at the barricaded door with everything they had making the walls violently shake and for large chunks of the door and barricade to wildly fly across the room.

"Ash...I'm glad I got to meet you and Wilma," Gates admitted as particularly sharp debris from the door and barricade slid across the floor and came to a stop near his feet causing Ashanti's eyes to widen before a sunny smile graced her lips.

"The same goes for you and Lacey," Ashanti responded causing Gates to give a brief, warm laugh before he refocused his attention on the barricade causing the zebra faunus to follow his lead and take careful aim at the barricaded door.

* * *

The battle scarred Alpha Beowolf's ears perked up as it swiftly rammed a round shot down the barrel of another musket as the wild, frenzied attacks of its ignorant brethren against the barricaded door picked up in pace and ferocity causing the Elder Grimm to gnash its teeth. Steatlh was no longer an option; it needed to act, now, or Ashanti and Gates would be lost to the horde. Slinging the loaded muskets over its shoulder, the betrayer sprinted out of the room gaining the attention of the King Taijitu and the Greater Boarbatusk causing both of the Grimm to release a deafening, ear splitting wail that caused the Elder Grimm to feel as if it's inside were going to burst apart like a watermelon. Vigorously shaking its head, the betrayer struggled onward in spite of the excruciating pain its ears were being subjected to, but inwardly cursed when it heard the feral, savage howls of its younger kin eager for a fresh kill zeroing in on it.

Seeing that all its paths were completely cut off by the hordes of its younger brethren, the betrayer let out a war cry that shook the very foundation of the building and made slight cracks in the wall which summoned forth a fog of searing hot, jet black smoke. The dastardly fog proceeded to cover the betrayer in a manner not unlike that of a huntsman's aura which caused the Elder Grimm's musculature to swell and then its black flesh reinforced itself like steel. What's more, the cloud of black smoke caused the Elder Grimm's veins to shine a bright, bloody crimson and light up the hall like fireworks as the fog suddenly stretched down the different pathways in the hall which caused the younger Grimm to screech erratically as the smoke burnt away at their flesh as if it were the fires of Hell itself.

Shaken, but undeterred by the agonizing pain they were in, the younger Grimm surged toward their enemy who roared back at them in challenge and brought one of its loaded muskets up to bear where it aimed it at the crowd in front of it with one arm. Not even feeling the recoil as the gun fired off its shot, the fire dust round exploded in a brilliant display of blinding, reddish-orange light that shredded the group of Grimm in front of it like a meat grinder. Leaping over the charred, shredded corpses of its younger kin, the betrayer ran as fast as it could towards the room Ashanti and Gates were trapped in as the other Grimm pursuing it were fast on its heels and showed no signs of letting up.

* * *

"And that's everything we know, Mrs. Lavender," Lacey finished calmly causing the reporter to clasp her hands together under her chin and stare down at the steel table while the reindeer faunus shifted in her seat to find a more comfortable position.

Sparing a quick glance at the officers guarding the room, the reindeer faunus saw two of them quietly discussing the information amongst themselves while another one put a hand on his chin and stared down at the floor with narrowed eyes. Looking away, the reindeer faunus looked between her friend and Lisa before sighing softly. Wilma didn't know how giving Lisa Lavender and the police the info would help, but she trusted her friend even with the hiccup at the outpost and if Lacey thought sharing this knowledge with these humans-no, these _people_ would help, then she was all for it.

"Considering you both risked not only the White Fang, but the benfactor as well to come after you, I think it's safe to say that neither I or the officers in this room have reason to doubt you..." Lisa trailed off while expectantly staring at the huntsman recruit and gestured with her hand causing Lacey to clear her throat.

"Lacey, and this is my friend Wilma," the potential huntress answered while thumping her chest and then motioning at the reindeer faunus who wanted to sink down further in her chair, but instead hesitantly lifted up her head and gave the journalist a timid wave.

"Forgive me for saying this then, but besides Wilma, you don't like a faunus," Lisa Lavender analyzed causing the huntsman hopeful to nod and suddenly close her eyes while gritting her teeth causing the reporter to raise a brow while Wilma curiously glanced at her friend.

With a pained shout, a thick, muscular tail with what seemed like spikes running down either end of the appendage jutted out of Lacey's lower back with a wet squelch and a spray of blood causing Wilma's face to turn green and hastily covered her mouth as Lisa's eyes widened before she returned to a calm, stoic expression.

"You're an alligator faunus?" the journalist inquired causing the huntsman hopeful to shake her head making Lisa raise a brow while Wilma gagged and just managed to prevent her lunch from being spewed onto the table where she had a brief coughing fit before sitting up.

"Crocodile faunus actually; _**saltwater**_ crocodile to be more specific, but we have more important things to discuss" Lacey corrected causing the journalist to grunt, but made no outward reaction as she sized up the two girls causing Wilma to blush, but didn't look away.

"Sorry to interrupt, but for future reference, we're going to need your full name, kids," one of the officers finally cut in after hours of remaining silent in a calm, sympathetic tone causing Lacey and Wilma to nod.

"Very well; I am Lacey of Atlas, citizen of Mantle, and inhabitant of Solitas," Lacey thoroughly explained with a hint of pride gaining a raised brow from Lisa Lavender and the officers before they stared at Wilma who released a breath.

"I'm Wilma Brenton," the reindeer faunus stated causing the reporter to pull her chair closer to the table causing Wilma to fight the urge to look away from Lisa's inquisitive, piercing gaze and tried to remain as calm as possible like Lacey was doing.

"Not many people still use the pre-Great War naming system, Solitas Lacey" Lisa pointed out causing the huntsman recruit to shrug nonchalantly while Wilma spared an inquisitive glance at her friend, but figured she could learn more about the naming system back at their new base.

"My family and one of my friends does, but we're not here to discuss that," Lacey coolly retorted causing the reporter to nod as she crossed her legs causing Wilma to fiddle with her thumbs while her friend remained stonefaced.

"Indeed; your information...or lackthereof on the White Fang has proven to be enlightening," the reporter calmly responded causing the huntsman recruit to inwardly sigh in relief while outwardly grinning slightly while the reindeer faunus nodded, but opted not to say anything.

"Right; I'm sorry that our scrolls only contained rudimentary information about the White Fang, Mrs. Lavender," Lacey apologized causing Lisa to nod and accept the apology while Wilma rolled her stiff shoulders before attempting to maintain a professional posture like her friend was.

"There's no need to apologize; telling us how the White Fang recruits new members, that their forces in Vale are mainly operating in Mountain Glenn, that they're working with Roman Torchwick, and where they're likely to hide out has been a major help," Lisa consoled the young adult causing Lacey to laugh warmly under her breathe and nod as the reporter fiddled with her scroll and brought up a holographic map of Remnant for everyone in the room to see.

"After all, by trying to be discreet with the info on your scrolls, Adam has given us all we need to find the other White Fang bases around Remnant. I'm sure between the two of you, the officers, myself, and the data on White Fang attack patterns, finding out where they're hiding shouldn't be too much trouble," Lisa continued with a smug grin gracing her lips while glancing at the three officers guarding the room and gesturing at the map causing them to approach the table and gaze impassively at the hologram.

Allowing a feral smirk to cross her face, Lacey eagerly leaned forward in her chair while Wilma smiled and pushed her chair closer to the table in order to get a closer look at the map. Everything was looking up, and Wilma just hoped it stayed that way.

* * *

"Get ready," Gates called out causing Ashanti to grit her teeth and narrow her eyes as a piece of debris lodged itself into the wall next to her due to one of the Ursa Major's raking its claws across the door causing her to curse.

Even with the sweat pouring down her brow, the zebra faunus did her best to remain calm as the other Ursa Major swung it's razor sharp claws at the barricade...and got them stuck in a large, mahogany desk causing the creature of Grimm to irritably growl and tug back as hard as it could. At first, it seemed that no matter how much the Elder Grimm, yanked and pulled on its arm, its claws were going to remain where it was, but with a mighty war cry, it forcibly dislodged its claws and took large chunk of debris with it. The opening in the barricade was now big enough for one of the Alpha Beowolves arms and part of its torso while the Ursa Majors could only sneak in one arm, but that was all Gates needed as he sucked in a breathe and put his finger on the trigger.

"NOW!" Gates roared causing Ashanti to let out the loudest cry she could muster and depress the trigger causing a crossfire of blinding, reddish-orange fire dust rounds that bombarded the creatures of Grimm like a never ending hailstorm.

The two Alpha Beowolves managed to roll out of the way of the intial volley, but were thrown about and badly scorched by the flurry of rounds fired by Ashati that impacted the ground next to them and violently exploded like miniature grenades. The two Ursa Majors plopped down on their bellies and covered the back of their heads with their giant hands while letting their armor plating and their dense skin to soak up enemy fire, but were still getting brutally burned by the explosive bullets. The horde of younger Grimm, unable to process the change in situation, wailed as they were either completely consumed by the flames and were burnt to a crisp or were torn apart by the explosions that sent chunks of black flesh erratically flying in all directions. Only the ones farthest away from the room had a chance to survive, and even then their chances were slim. The hallway was illuminated with blinding flashes of reddish-orange light and the building was violently rocked and started to crumble from the powerful explosions of the dust rounds if the various cracks forming around the wall were any indication.

Ceasing her screaming when all she heard was the empty click of her gun, Ashanti swiftly gripped an ammo clip at her belt and detached the old one, but just as she slammed the new clip into her rifle, one of the Ursa Majors rammed through the barricade that had been weakened by the volley of fire. The barricade burst apart in a shower of splinters that kicked up a massive cloud of dust that obscured Ashanti's vision and caused her to instinctively step back while shielding her face with her forearm. Before she could even swing her rifle around and aim it at the monsters, one of the Ursa Major's firmly grasped Ashanti's rifle in its giant, meaty hands where a mighty struggle for the gun ensued.

Ashanti dug her feet in and let out a furious shout as she slowly, but surely began pushing the beast back causing the demon to yank the rifle downward which made Ashanti awkwardly stagger forward. Before she could regain her footing, the beast smashed it's skull directly into her face with the force of a wrecking ball causing a sickening crack that made Ashanti wail and stumble back while tightly clutching her face. The Ursa Major, with Ashanti's rifle in hand, promptly snapped the gun in two and contemptously chucked the pieces of the destroyed gun to the floor while its partner, the Ursa Major whose eye was shot out and showed no signs of healing, furiously surged toward Ashanti. Having the presence of mind to hear rapid footsteps stampeding toward her, the zebra faunus dove to the side and grunted when she landed on her ribs, before screaming in pain as the first Ursa Major chomped down on the back of her neck and hoisted her up in the air.

Although her aura prevented the demon's teeth from piercing her skin, it still made her grimace as the demonic bear vigorously shook its head to and fro as if the creature of Grimm was attempting to tear her head right off its shoulders. Deciding that this current course of action wasn't working, the Ursa Major swung Ashanti by the back of her neck like a flail and brutally slammed her face first against the concrete wall again and again. Gnashing her teeth with each successive hit, Ashanti planted her feet against the wall and pushed back as hard as she could sending the Ursa Major and herself flying backwards where they both hit the ground in a heap. Groaning, Ashanti attempted to regain her bearings when the one-eyed Ursa Major reared up on its hind legs and harshly swiped the back of her head causing Ashanti to screech as her skull bounced off the floor making her feel as light as a feather. Briefly getting back onto her feet, Ashanti teetered around like a drunkard before she collapsed onto the cold, unforgiving ground where she tried to move her limbs, but felt like they weighed a ton.

Weakly coughing, Ashanti felt herself pulled up into the air and hung limply like a ragdoll only to let out a strangled wheeze as the one-eyed Ursa Major wrapped its arms around her waist and applied as much pressure as it could. She only just managed to howl in pain when she felt the demon chomp down on her skull with its long, sharp fangs and dig its jagged claws into her ribs causing her to screech which then turned into a deafeaning wail when the other Ursa Major bit down on the back of her neck and dug its claws into her shoulder in order to get a better grip.

Ashanti's aura was barely hanging on, but like any armor it would break apart if subjected to too much damage and it looked like it was at its breaking point as Ashanti briefly flashed brown. Throwing her head back when the one-eyed Ursa Major tightened its grip causing the bones in her arms and ribs to pop and crackle, the zebra faunus grit her teeth as she desperately felt around for her sword. Feeling her hand brush against the hilt, Ashanti firmly gripped the handle and managed to bring it out of the loop in her belt in spite of the position her arms were in. Bringing her arm back as far as it could in its trapped postion, Ashanti plunged the blade into the one-eyed Ursa Major's side, but it soon became stuck when it got up to the midpoint causing the zebra faunus to curse as the demonic bear howled in pain.

The Ursa Major hissed and softening its grip on Ashanti who took advantage of this by planting one of her feet on the ground and then stomping forward as she used her hips to shove the one-eyed Ursa Major back where it slid across the floor face first sending gravel flying in all direction. With one foe taken care of at the moment, Ashanti gnashed her teeth and knelt down in order to resist the other Ursa Major attempting to lift her up by the back of her neck again and grabbed the monster's arm. Gritting her teeth, Ashanti pulled her neck free of the beast's teeth and tugged the Ursa Major toward her where she stabbed the sword into the demon's armpit and through its shoulder blade where the tip of the blade barely pierced the monster's cheek.

The demonic released an ear shattering wail that made Ashanti instinctively cover her ears as the beast backpedaled and clutched its now useless arm that was spurting out black, tar like blood. Glaring at the Ursa Major, Ashanti took big step forward and forcefully planted the bottom of her combat boot into the beast's chest causing the monster to cry in pain as it was catapulted backward and then harshly slammed through the wall where it lay at the bottom of a heap of rubble. Taking the moment to catch her breathe, Ashanti's eyes widened when she heard loud, thunderous footsteps charging toward her causing her to quickly wheel around with her hands up where she saw the one-eyed Ursa Major surging toward with her malicious intent.

Waiting until the demonic bear was in range, the zebra faunus spun around the beast and smashed her heel into the Ursa Major's jaw causing the demon's head to violently snap to the side and caused a few of its teeth to go flying out of its mouth. Violently tumbling forward, the demonic bear harshly collided against the wall where its arm was twisted in a direction that it was not meant to move causing the creature of Grimm to screech as it looked down for the count...for now. Refocusing her attention on the other Ursa Major who angrily threw the chunks of debris off of itself, Ashanti's eyes widened when she saw the creature of Grimm snap the blade in two like a twig causing shards of the sword to clatter to the ground.

Ashanti brought her hands up in front of her face as the Ursa Major barred its teeth and yanked out the big, metallic splinter in its shoulder without so much as a grimace before picking up the broken, jagged sword. Roaring, the demonic bear swung the jagged blade in a wild frenzy forcing Ashanti on the defensive as she backpedaled and danced around the blows as best as she could. However, she didn't have the muscle memory or instincts of a seasoned huntsman and after barely ducking underneath a swipe at her neck that shaved off part of her hair, it turned out to be a feint as she couldn't recover in time to dodge the claws raking across her face.

A sound of glass breaking apart and a brown flash of light signified Ashanti's aura finally shattering after so much abuse as the zebra faunus howled in agony while clutching her face as she just felt as if part of it was peeled right off by a razor hot knife. With droplets of tears falling from her eyes, Ashanti blindly stumbled back as the Ursa Major went on the offensive causing the zebra faunus to whimper and face the direction in which she thought the demon was approaching. Though the scratch marks on her forehead stretching all the way down to her eyelid, nose, lips, and chin made it hard for her to focus, she managed to duck to the side as the Ursa Major swung the jagged blade downward like a warhammer.

However, this turned out to be another feint as the demonic bear reared its hand back and furiously slashed Ashanti across the face with its claws yet again. The zebra faunus hacked up a glob of blood as she felt as if her face was simultaneously hit by a runaway train and gashed multiple times by an obsidian blade as she crashed into the wall head first and violently bounced off of it where she groggily crumpled onto all fours. Fighting to stay conscious, Ashanti breathed heavily as a trickle of blood from her mouth poured down onto the floor while blood from her still fresh slash wound dripped onto the ground like raindrops. Her breathing suddenly hitched when the jagged sword pierced all the way through her shoulder up to the hilt with the sound of meat being ripped apart causing Ashanti's eyes to constrict to the size of pennies.

Ashanti felt a cold sweat course through her body as she stared at the sword piercing right through her shoulder before she screamed bloody murder and curled into a ball while letting tears freely trail down her face as the Ursa Major cruelly smirked and soaked in all the negative energy Ashanti was emitting like a sponge. Biting down on her lip, Ashanti put her hand on the ground and with herculean effort, climbed to her feet and glared at the creature of Grimm who still retained its evil smile before gesturing with its head behind her.

Widening her eyes, Ashanti reluctantly turned around and saw the one-eyed Ursa Major glaring down at her not with the fiery, uncontrollable anger of a younger Grimm, but with the cold, controlled fury befitting that of an Elder Grimm. Unconsciously taking a step back, Ashanti balled her hand into a fist and put all her weight into the strongest kick she could muster...only for the Ursa Major, like the seasoned warrior it was, to step toward Ashanti so it was standing near her shoulder and easily caught her leg when much of the force behind the blow had long since passed all in a single motion. Snarling, the one-eyed Ursa Major brought its arm up and savagely stabbed its elbow spike straight through Ashanti's thigh with a gut wrenching tear elicting another deafening, pained screech as the Elder Grimm dislodged its elbow spike so it could remain in Ashanti's thigh and prevent her from bleeding out.

Releasing her leg, both Ursa Major's watched as the zebra faunus, with the long, pointy bone jutting out of her thigh, limp away while clutching her bloodied leg before weakly gasping and slumping onto her belly where she lay completely motionless. Raising a brow, the one-eyed Ursa Major gave an experimental kick to Ashanti's ribs causing the unconscious girl to cry out making the creature of Grimm nod and glance at its cohort who blankly stared back at it. For now, the two Elder Grimm would keep Ashanti alive, but if Gates proved to be more useful to the whereabout of the two missing pack members...well, they really only needed one or the other to provide the information.

* * *

Flying back as the barricade burst apart with the force of a bomb, Gates hissed as his back harshly hit the ground, but managed to roll with the impact and get himself into a crouch where he saw two Ursa Majors charging at Ashanti who was hastily trying to aim her rifle at the demons.

" _They're going to be on top of her before she can do anything,"_ Gates thought to himself as he took aim with his rifle and closed one of his eyes, but just as he pulled the trigger a loud, ferocious roar disoriented him and two, giant hands firmly grasped his rifle.

Gates gnashed his teeth and growled as he could barely keep his hands on his gun against the much taller, larger, and stronger Alpha Beowolf and to make matters even worse the other demonic wolf was closing in. His opportunity came when the Elder Grimm, attempting to gain control of his rifle, snapped at his face causing Gates to lean his head to the side and forcefully yank the gun back offsetting the balance of the creature of Grimm. Managing to drag the demon off to the side, Gates felt the second Alpha Beowolf's claws hit the empty air near his face while the first Alpha Beowolf awkwardly stumbled in the direction Gates pulled the rifle in. Using this to his advantange, Gates stepped toward the Alpha Beowolf and using his hips for momentum, harshly swung the butt of the rifle across the helpless Elder Grimm's face as if he were throwing an elbow strike.

A loud, sickening crack could be heard as the Alpha Beowolf's lower jaw dislocated and sent a couple of teeth flying out of its mouth causing the monster to wail and fall onto its back as the other Alpha Beowolf lept over its downed cohort and tackled Gates to the floor. Gates wheezed as felt as if he had just been hit by an airship going fullspeed which knocked the gun out of his hands where it slid across the floor far out of his reach. The former White Fang soldier grit his teeth and firmly gripped the Elder Grimm's throat as if to choke the monster as he was just able to push the Alpha Beowolf back, but the monster's face was still close enough that it could widely snap its jaw mere inches from his face.

Gates cursed when he saw the first Alpha Beowolf snap its jaw back into place and glower at him before walking over to where his rifle was like it was taking a walk in the park. Picking up the gun, the monstrous wolf snapped the rifle in two like it was breaking bone by smashing the rifle over its knee. Letting the pieces of the gun drop to the floor, the Alpha Beowolf roared at Gates and slowly trudged toward him while brandishing its razor sharp claws causing the young man to redouble his efforts to break free.

Using his free hand, Gates repeatedly pummeled the Alpha Beowolf he was wrestling with a flurry of punches on the side of its head, but much to his chagrin the Elder Grimm wasn't even fazed by the punches and acted as if it was being hit being hit by a child instead of a young adult. Growing tired of his struggles, the Alpha Beowolf snatched Gates's wrist in a grip that could easily break bone and slammed the appendage onto the ground causing a small crater and spider web crack to form on the ground elicting a sharp cry from the young man.

The first Alpha Beowolf joined the fray and savagely slashed and stabbed Gates's arms, chest, and gut in a savage, but controlled assault making the former White Fang soldier grit his teeth as he briefly flashed red before the sound of a window shattering and a bright flash of red light signaled his aura breaking. Cursing up a storm as the two Elder Grimm turned him into a chew toy, Gates tightened his grip on the Alpha Beowolf's throat as long, wide gashes and deep, broad bite marks marred on his upper body and shoulders courtesy of the Elder Grimm. Hissing as yet another searing slash formed on his face, Gates planted his foot on the ground and twisted his hips to the side sending the Alpha Beowolf that had mounted him colliding into its cohort where they hit the ground in a heap.

Climbing to his feet, Gates forced down the pain and brandished his sword as the first Alpha Beowolf roughly shoved its partner off of it and slowly got to its feet with a fierce snarl as big holes oozing black blood could be seen on its chest thanks to its comrade's back spikes. The other Elder Grimm quickly got up as well and glowered at the young man as it along with its comrade slowly advanced towards Gates from different angles. Fighting to stay conscious, Gates's tightened his grip on his sword as the two Elder Grimm lunged at him in unison causing the Vacuo native to roll underneath the monsters who turned around while in mid air and landed on all fours with their claws digging into the concrete.

Charging at him yet again, Gates lowered his shoulder and rammed it into the chest of one of the demons while fighting back against the grip of the other Alpha Beowolf who was attempting to tug him back. With a war cry, Gates stabbed the blade upward through the chin of the first Alpha Beowolf and right through its skull causing the Elder Grimm to whimper and feebly grasp the blade before crumpling onto its back where it lay deathly still. Gates, however, couldn't celebrate his kill as the second Alpha Beowolf's eyes widened at the loss of its kin before it roared in white hot rage and tightly gripped the back of his head as if to crush it causing Gates to screech and blindly swing at the Elder Grimm with his sword. Contemptously, the Alpha Beowolf brought its armor plated forearm up and stopped the blade in its tracks while ignoring the hot sparks impacting its flesh causing Gates's eyes to widen as the Elder Grimm enveloped his entire hand into its own in an iron like grip and squeezed down on it.

Screaming bloody murder as the Alpha Beowolf broke every single bone in his hand with a loud, sickening crack, Gates released his sword and fell onto one knee while attempting to free his broken hand to no avail. Snorting, the Elder Grimm hoisted him up and plunged its claws into his chest making Gates's breath hitch before he gritted his teeth as he spat up a spray of blood onto the Elder Grimm's face. Licking some of the crimson liquid off of its cheek, the Elder Grimm lifted Gates up further with its claws before abruptly tossing him across the room where he crashed against the window with a loud crack. Briefly blacking out, Gates weakly opened his eyes where he saw nothing but white spots, heard nothing but a loud ring, and felt nothing but the short, but sharp splinter of glass stabbing themselves through various parts of his body. Not even the chilling, night wind brushing up against his exposed, weasel like ears folding against his head made him react as he let out a strangled, heavy breathe.

Gates put his hand on the window sill and raised a brow as he felt his hand brush up against a bloodied, long shard of glass causing the former White Fang soldier to subtly remove the shard even as it cut through his palm like butter. When he felt the Alpha Beowolf roughly grasp the back of his head, he used whatever strength he had left to wheel around and stab at the demon's throat with the splinter, but the Alpha Beowolf managed to block fatal blow...with its hand.

Making the mistake of thinking its prey was down for the count, the Alpha Beowolf just managed to bring its hand up to block the lethal strike, but unintentionally used its hand to do so. Gritting its teeth and inwardly cursing itself for its mistake, the Alpha Beowolf grasped Gates's wrist and began to slowly push the splinter of glass out of its palm causing the former White Fang soldier to yank the shard upward in an arc causing the Elder Grimm to howl in pain as the sound of meat being cut clean through echoed throughout the room. Staggering back while clutching its hand now cut into two, meaty halves, the Alpha Beowolf barred its teeth and angrily lunged at Gates who was helpless to resist as his energy was spent.

Gagging as the Alpha Beowolf tightly gripped his throat in its big, muscular hand and hoisted him up in the air with the utmost ease, the Elder Grimm ruthlessly slammed him against the wall making him see stars as he put his feet on the wall and tried to push back against the demon to no avail.

" _Your Alpha, Lacey...and your confidant, Wilma...where are they?"_ the second Alpha Beowolf seethed as it applied more pressure around Gates's neck making him wheeze and a trickle of saliva to stream down the side of his lip as the Elder Grimm positioned its body closer to him so he couldn't kick it.

"I...ain't...telling you...shit!" Gates defiantly got out causing the Alpha Beowolf to put its face closer to Gates's face and glared at him with a gaze that could kill many times over, but Gates stubbornly glowered back even as he felt the angry, hot breathe of the Grimm against his face.

" _You...will,"_ the Alpha Beowolf eerily responded as it squeezed his neck even harder causing Gates to desperately gasp for air and and flail his arms wildly before the pressure around his throat softened just enough so he could get some air into his system.

Glancing at the two Ursa Majors, Gates's eyes widened when he saw Ashanti with a broken sword stabbed through her shoulder and a long, sharp spike jutting out of her thigh lying motionless on the floor with the only indication that she was alive was the slight rise and fall of her chest. The one-eyed Ursa Major grasped the spike pierced through Ashanti's leg and began to slowly pull it out causing the zebra faunus to whimper as spurts of blood gushed out of the closed up gash.

"Alright, alright! They went to Vacuo to inform Shade Academy! Said that with Atlas here, Vale would need more of its huntsman to come here and help it out!" Gates answered as it was the first thing that came to mind, but fortunately the Alpha Beowolf seemed to buy it as it smirked and let Gates slump to the floor where clutched his neck and greedily gulped down precious amounts of air.

With the information in hand, the Elder Grimm prepared to strike down their helpless enemies, but the sound of powerful, violent explosions and ear splitting howls caught their attention and warily faced the broken down door. However, they didn't expect another one of their kind, an Alpha Beowolf far larger than either of them with glowing crimson veins and various bite marks, slashes, and scorch marks that would have fell even the toughest human, burst into the room while clutching the corpses of two Ursa Minors by their ankles.

The three Elder Grimm backpedaled as rubble flew past their heads and swatted away any dust that had gotten near them as they eyed the newcomer warily. Before the Alpha Beowolf could ask what the newcomer was doing, it was brutally smacked aside by the corpse of its younger brethren while the two Ursa Major's were harshly slammed to the floor with the spikes of their younger brethren stabbing through their chests. Wasting no time, the betrayer knelt down and with some effort, ripped the head right off of one of the Ursa Majors and then used the skull to bludgeon the other demonic bear's face into a bloody paste all while the smaller Alpha Beowolf watched this sudden betrayal from underneath the dead body of the Ursa Minor that was slow to dissolve.

With a furious shout, the betrayer caved in the demonic bear's head with deafening crack that sent pieces of bone flying off to the side and for the shattered skull to ooze copious amounts of tar like blood all over the floor. Snorting, the betrayer ignored the blood on its coat and slowly approached the trapped Alpha Beowolf who defiantly snarled back at it with its hackles raised causing the traitor to stomp down on the chest of the Ursa Minor as hard as it could. The smaller Alpha Beowolf to let out a loud, pained whimper that was abruptly cut short as the bone spikes on the Ursa Minor pierced right through its chest, throat, and skull where it uselessly swiped at the traitor one last time. Seeing the smaller Alpha Beowolf suddenly go limp, the betrayer grunted as it would shed no tears if it were capable of such a thing for its ignorant kin who would follow their programming without any sort of hesitation.

Rushing over to Gates, the betrayer thought itself lucky that he had just fallen unconscious after the ordeal and thus could be treated for his wounds causing the betrayer to hoist him up on its shoulder. Next, it sprinted over to Ashanti and honestly expected to find a corpse, but was pleasantly surprised when it felt her chest still rising and falling causing it to pick Ashanti up and cradle the girl close in its arm. Grabbing their fallen backpacks and slinging them around its shoulders, the betrayer exited the room and ran through the burning, smoke filled hallway filled to the brim of its dead, dissolving brethren.

The betrayer knew it had to find an exit, and fast, as it dodged a falling piece of giant rubble and make it back to its temporary den where it hoped that it had not been tampered with by the White Fang and tend to its charge's wounds. It would then have to hope either Ashanti or Gates were coherent enough to get into contact with Lacey and inform her of the change of plans causing the Elder Grimm to shake its head. The combat weary Alpha Beowolf maneuvered around another falling piece of debris and wished to the Brother God of Darkness that things were as simple and less complicated like in the Age before Dust.

 _Happy Holidays- Negative 97_


	16. Chapter 16 Scattered

Ch.16

Scattered

 _RWBY is the property of its respective owners, Ocs belong to me_

"So you say that this girl and her friend that you encountered during your team's investigation told you that the White Fang is operating in Mountain Glenn, that they intend to use the subway system to carry one big bomb or several smaller ones in order to breach the heart of Vale, and that because the White Fang has only cleared one station of debris, we still can stop them before they gain anymore ground? Forgive me, Mrs. Rose, but this seems a bit farfetched and could very well lead us into a trap," Professor Ozpin pointed out causing the scythe wielder to take a deep breathe in and let it back out as she timidly avoided the general's suspicious gaze that would have bore holes in her skull if such a thing were possible before a realization dawned on her.

"Oh, oh wait! She told me to tell you that she was Lacey, and she was from Mantle's 3rd Trainee Squad!" Ruby excitedly stated causing Ozpin and Glynda to raise a brow, but General Ironwood tightly clenched his fists to the point both esteemed teachers thought their friend was going to break every bone in his hand before he relaxed his grip.

"Did she tell you anything else, Ruby? Where she was operating from and who she was working with?" the general inquired calmly, but with a razor sharp edge in his voice that could have cleaved Ozpin's desk in two causing the red cloaked girl to suppress the urge to yelp and rubbed the back of her head.

"She didn't tell me where her base was, and as far as I know, she's only working with her friend with the cute antlers, but she did tell my team and I that she was going to give Lisa Lavender information on the White Fang and the breach," Ruby responded causing Glynda to fold her arms, Ozpin to nod, and General Ironwood's lip to quiver for just a brief moment before the same stoic facade he had put up many times came upon his face.

"Thank you for coming to us with this info, Mrs. Rose. You're free to return to your dorm and it goes without saying that I want the specifics of this meeting kept on the downlow," Ozpin dismissed the scythe wielder who smiled and gave a playful salute to the headmaster who allowed a small, warm smile tug at the corner of his lips.

"Of course, Professor! You can count on me!" Ruby dutifully proclaimed while balling her hand into a fist causing the wizened headmaster to nod causing the young huntress to head toward the elevator where she nearly tripped on her cloak.

Gasping, the scythe wielder managed to regain her footing and attempted to play it off like she meant to do that earning a chuckle from the headmaster as Ruby entered the elevator and headed down leaving the three members of the secret order to themselves.

"Now James, before you say anything, I must point out that Lacey just gave us the location of the White Fang base and informed us of the potential breach so surely you can afford to be more lenient with her," the headmaster coolly surmised while taking a sip of coffee causing the general to snort and place his scroll on his friend's desk making the room go dark where Ironwood fiddled with the touchscreen.

"The fact still stands that she betrayed her kingdom to join up with Remnant's most dangerous terrorists and a few of acts of altruism aren't going to change my mind," Ironwood gruffly countered causing Glynda to scoff and tighten her grip on her riding crop while Ozpin merely sighed as a holographic image of Lacey's profile from her time in Mantle's combat school was brought up.

"It says here that she returned home for about three months after she was denied entry into Atlas Academy and went off the grid...until now. Six months, Ozpin; six months she's been with the White Fang and has told Adam about Brother God's know what about Atlas, our combat methods and strategims, how to reverse engineer SDC technology for themselves, and anything else that would put our Kingdom at risk!" Ironwood nearly roared at his old friend, but retained enough control to just raise a his voice causing the headmaster to take another sip from his mug while Glynda pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"We don't know if she's even told the White Fang anything, James! You can't accuse and then punish her for something she may not have even done without concrete proof!" Glynda scathingly shouted at the general who said nothing as he put his hands behind his back and stood up in a professional posture befitting that of the Command-in-Chief of the strongest military in the world and arguably the best huntsman Remnant has to offer.

"I'm not risking Atlas's safety on chances, and right now the chance that Lacey has given classified information to the White Fang seems highly likely and thus we have to act appropriately. Therefore, I'm recommending we scrap the recon mission to Mountain Glenn, send in all our forces to neutralize the White Fang, and secure the bombs and subway systems," Ironwood suggested causing Ozpin to resist the urge to roll his eyes and simply clasped his hands underneath his chin while Glynda merely narrowed her eyes and thumped her riding crop against her shoulder.

"Such a drastic move would only cause a mass panic and bring hordes of Grimm that neither the Valean Militia, the Counter Terrorism and Grimm Attack police units, and the esteemed Huntsman couldn't contain. Besides, the recon mission still holds merit even if its objective has changed from confirming our suspicions that the White Fang's main base in Vale is in Mountain Glenn to simply gauging the defenses they have set up," Ozpin countered causing Ironwood to frown as he trudged toward his friend's desk in a slow, menacing pace which would have made most men stand stand clear, but Ozpin merely stared at the general stonefaced.

"Ozpin, this could very well be the turning point in this war! We don't have time to scout, formulate a plan of attack, and wait for the enemy to reveal their next move when they're already two steps ahead of us which is why we need to act now!" Ironwood pressed causing Ozpin to shake his head and take a sip from his mug causing the general to clench his fist tightly to the point that everyone heard a loud pop before the general relaxed his hand.

"James, let's say we committ all our resources to secure Mountain Glenn. What if it turns out that it's just another piece on the board, albeit an important one, that nevertheless can be sacrificed in order to protect even more important pieces? Vale would be left defensless and ripe for the taking which is something we can't afford," Ozpin reasoned causing Ironwood to snort, but nevertheless conceded the point, however begrudgingly, and calmly entered something onto his scroll which brought up the profiles of a blue beret wearing girl and an orange haired girl wearing a pink bow.

"Fine Oz, but we both know that Mountain Glenn is still important which is why I'm requesting that along with Tai Nguyen, Ciel Soleil and Penny Polendina be allowed to go on the scouting mission to Mountain Glenn. Ciel is one of the best students Atlas has to offer and from the looks of her profile, she used to be close friends with the deserter in the 3rd Trainee Squad and you saw Penny in action from the footage at the docks. She's more than capable of holding her own against whatever the White Fang throws at her," Ironwood requested causing Ozpin to narrow his eyes and stare at the profiles of the two students carefully while Glynda tightened her grip on her riding crop.

"We've already let one of your soldiers go on the mission, James, and we're certainly not going to allow-"

"Glynda, it's alright. I believe that with the addition of Mrs. Soleil and Mrs. Polendina, the scouting mission will go even more smoothly so I will allow it...on the condition that Mrs. Nguyen, Mrs. Soleil, and Mrs. Polendina will be subordinate to Doctor Oobleck for the entire mission which means that any information they find goes to him, not their superiors in the Atlesian military, first. In addition, I need you to gurantee that if you do manage to capture Lacey, that Glynda and I will be able to talk to her first," Ozpin stated while staring at Ironwood with a calm, steely gaze causing the general to stand his ground only to raise a brow as Ozpin's scroll beeped causing the headmaster to analyze the contents of the message he was sent.

Laughing softly, Ozpin took another sip from his mug and slid his scroll over to Ironwood who warily gazed at the device before picking it up and reading over the message while extending it over to Glynda when she walked over to see what the fuss was about. Both of them widened their eyes while Ozpin simply smirked as General Ironwood regained his composure and placed the scroll back on the desk.

"This doesn't change anything, Oz," Ironwood growled causing the esteemed headmaster to raise a brow and take a another sip of coffee from his mug while Glynda cleared her thoat and folded her arms.

"Doesn't it, James? The Vale Police Department just sent us along with the Valean Militia information about highly likely White Fang outposts around Remnant and vital information that's going to go public all because of Lisa Lavender...and Lacey. I believe she's more than earned the chance to not be shipped off to some Kangaroo court where she'll be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt with fabricated evidence," Glynda argued causing the general to narrow his eyes at the witch who glowered back at him before Ozpin coughed into his hands causing the two to gaze at the headmaster.

"Arguing amongst ourselves won't get us anywhere. General, why don't you inform Mrs. Soleil and Mrs. Polendina of their new assignments and inform Mrs. Nguyen of the new specifics of her mission," Ozpin suggested causing General Ironwood to grunt as he headed towards the elevator where he gave Glynda a respectful nod which the witch scoffed at and warily gazed at Ozpin who blankly stared back at him as the doors to the elevator shut.

* * *

Things couldn't get any worse was what Adam Taurus, icon and what many believed to be the true leader of the White Fang, thought to himself as he, Adolf, and unexpectedly, an observer High Leader Khan sent along with her bodyguard to evaluate the progress the Vale branch was making. It wasn't just Cinder's message demanding he meet with her that unsettled him, it was also the fact that this particular observer, Jin, had always suspected that Adam was more trouble than he was worth and far too dangerous to both enemies and allies alike; something she told Sienna many times before. So of course when he told her he was going to meet with his "partner," she insisted she come along which the folk hero conceded to, if only just to not cut her down right then and there and confirm Sienna's long-standing suspicions of him to be true.

"This human you're working with, Cinder, acted as if she commanded you. I hope you realize that if I find our forces in Vale to be at the beck and call of some human, I'm going to report it to High Leader Khan," Jin, a lean, yet toned young adult with the ears of a spotted hyena informed the icon causing Adam to firmly grip the hilt of Wilt as if he was going to draw it at any moment while Adolf put a hand on his shoulder causing Adam to relax his grip.

"Don't you worry, observer. I'm sure you'll find the terms of our partnership to be _most satisfactory_ ," Adam tersely responded through grounded teeth causing Jin to narrow her eyes and grab her Ji that had been leaning against the wall of the bullhead and lightly planted the butt of the polearm on the floor while never taking her eyes off of Adam.

"Sir, while we have the time, I would like to know more details on my younger brother's death. It won't bring him back, but it will at least give my family the chance to say goodbye to him," Jin's bodyguard, Commander Vickers, requested in the hopes to ease the tension causing Jin to see Adam freeze up for just the briefest of moments that went unnoticed by Commander Vickers, but not by her.

"You're brother was one of my finest soldiers so you deserve to know the truth. The huntsman scum, Qrow Branwen and Taiyang Xiao Long, snuck into our camp in the dead of night and went unnoticed by most of our forces, but not by the squad of soliders I mentioned in my report. They stood by and did nothing as the huntsman struck your brother down, but rest assured we will get our vengeance on the ones who took him away from us," Adam calmly lied while clasping Commander Vickers's shoulder in an attempt to console him causing the spotted hyena faunus to quietly snort while the commander remained stonefaced underneath his Beowolf helmet that covered his entire face.

"If what you say is true, then that just confirms my suspicions that you aren't leading our forces in Vale properly. How could two huntsman, no matter how skilled, sneak into our underground base, go unnoticed by all but four soldiers who weren't even posted on guard duty at that time, kill one of our most capable soldiers without alerting anyone, and get out scot free?" Jin cut in causing Adam's clothes to glow crimson and even beneath his mask, Vickers could tell he was glaring at Jin with a gaze that could kill many times over causing the commander to place himself between the two.

"Thank you for telling me sir, and I don't blame Wilma and her friends for freezing up. Trying to help my brother fight them would have just led to four more unnecessary deaths," the commander calmly told the folk hero who simply nodded in turn as the bullhead began its landing procedures causing Vickers to sling his rotary cannon over his shoulder before standing up.

Exiting the bullhead with Adolf following him, both waited for their COs to exit the aircraft were Adam and his lieutenant went ahead of them while Vickers and the observer were content to trail behind.

"Please don't tell me you buy that spiel Adam spat out," the observer whispered causing Vickers to glance at Adam and Adolf and seeing that they were staring straight ahead, shook his head while sighing softly.

"Of course not, ma'am. As much as I'd like to believe that my little brother was enough of a threat to get on Ozpin's radar, I know that he was just another White Fang soldier which makes me suspect foul play on Adam's partner's part," Vickers silently replied causing the observer to nod as she picked up her pace, but still maintained enough distance that they could continue to quietly converse and not arouse suspicion from either Adam or his right hand man.

"As much as I dislike Adam, I'm not going to accuse him of anything without solid proof...yet I fear what you say may be right," the observer mumbled causing the commander to nod slowly as he took in the surroundings of the wasteland before regaining focus as Adam and Adolf stopped in their tracks and turned to face them.

"We're here; time for you to meet our partner," Adam tersely stated as he walked over to a nearby chunk of rubble and sat down on it while Adolf slowly paced around with his chainsaw lazily resting atop his shoulder.

True to his word, another bullhead soon touched down near the destroyed buildings the members of the White Fang were using as a meeting place causing Jin to tighten her grip on her Ji while Commander Vickers placed himself in front of Jin and brought his rotary cannon up to bear. The observer narrowed her eyes when she saw a woman with black, obsidian hair wearing a simple, yet elegant red dress with what seemed like dust woven into the clothing, a silver haired man wearing what seemed to be a lightly armored shirt and pants, and a green haired girl with two hand cannons attached to her belt exit the aircraft.

"I'm going to meet them halfway; wait here," Adam ordered Jin who shrugged causing the Crimson Scourge to trudge toward his reluctant allies with Adolf following close behind him and before he could say anything, Cinder promplty threw a newspaper into his hands causing him to raise a brow.

"Care to explain this?" the fire witch demanded with her usual calm, seductive voice gone and replaced with the harsh, authoritative tone of an Atlesian military official as Adam and Adolf read through the contents of the paper with their eyes wide.

"I know this is bad, but the outpost Wilma and her friends were staying in was burnt to the ground not too long ago and we're doing everything we can to find them," Adam assured the fire witch while holding his hands up, but all his answer did was cause her eyes to light up like the fiery sun causing the Crimson Scourge to do his best not to flinch and simply stared at his "partner" blankly.

"What do you mean you're doing everything you can to find them? Don't tell me that you lost Wilma and her friends when they were sitting right under your nose and after assuring me that they wouldn't be a problem," Cinder growled as the temperature around them briefly rose to scorching levels causing Adam to resist the urge to cry out as Adolf suddenly stepped forward causing the fire witch to warily gaze at him.

"What he means is that although we didn't find their bodies in the debris, we did find blood trails from the outpost leading to the entertainment district so we're focusing our search for the deserters there," the White Fang commando coolly informed the maiden causing Cinder to narrow her eyes at Adolf who simply folded his arms in response.

"Find them and kill them," was Cinder's gruff response causing Adolf to hesitantly nod while Adam inwardly sighed in relief before he had to restrain the urge to flinch when the maiden glared at him once more.

"You're lucky that your status as a folk hero among the White Fang made sure that we still have barely sufficient manpower, but this information on the White Fang nearly made us dead in the water. It's fortunate for you that our base in Mountain Glenn remains mere speculation otherwise I'd have to do...less than civil things to you to make up for your folly," Cinder seethed causing the folk hero to resist every instinct that was telling him to back up and merely took a deep breathe in before letting it back out.

"Of course, Cinder. In the meantime, that girl over there is one of Sienna Khan's observers so anything she see's regarding the well-being of Vale branch is going to get directly reported to High Leader Khan. If you want our manpower problem solved, you're going to have to play nice," Adam whispered causing Cinder to slowly reach her hand up and cup the folk hero's chin causing a cold shiver to go down the icon's spine as Cinder's fiery, piercing gaze bore into his skull.

"You dare command me, Adam Taurus?" Cinder stated while increasing the temperature in her hand to uncomfortable levels making the folk hero flinch, but didn't dare wrench his head away.

"It's just a suggestion, Cinder," Adam responded in the hopes that this would placate the maiden which it seemed to do as the fire witch released her grip on Adam's face and calmly walked towards Jin causing the folk hero to release a breathe he didn't even know he was holding.

"Thanks for the save," Adam told Adolf who nodded as they both began slowly walking towards where the meeting between their partner and High Leader Khan's observer was taking place.

"Of course, and it's true that we did find blood trails leading to the entertainment district, but it cuts off from there so we're also searching the nearby districts," Adolf responded as he rolled his stiff neck and shoulder while Adam grasped Wilt for comfort as they opted to just silently watch the meeting between Jin and Cinder for the time being.

"That's far enough," Commander Vickers ordered while aiming his rotary cannon at the three humans who were a few feet away from Jin causing Mercury to smirk and step forward, but Cinder put a hand on his shoulder making the assassin step back.

"Oh, come now; you're among allies, especially the ones who've done nothing but supply your cause with all the top of the line military tech that you could only dream of acquiring before," Cinder remarked with a slight smirk as she took a baby step forward, but didn't even flinch when Commander Vickers fired warning shots at her feet.

"I said that's far enough; Jin can hear you just fine from where you're standing so start talking," Commander Vickers demanded causing the maiden to frown and wanted nothing more to disintegrate this unruly soldier to a crisp, but withheld from doing so if only to make sure she got what she needed.

"Jin, was it? I'm Cinder Fall, the White Fang's benefactor, and I'm pleased to make your acquaintance. Forgive me for the earlier show of force; Adam failed to take care of something I thought he was capable of and thus we had to renegotiate our contract. I hope this doesn't affect your report to High Leader Khan and we can continue to have smooth business relations with one another," Cinder politely greeted the observer who warily glared at Cinder along with her lackeys while Vickers tensed up as he thought any one of them would attack at any moment.

"If your business relation with Adam involves threatening him and treating him as a subordinate rather than an equal, then we have nothing to discuss," Jin icily retorted which didn't make Cinder's calm gaze falter as she merely put a hand on her hip and fought against the impulse to use her powers to bring this girl to heel...for the time being.

"Be reasonable, observer. Without me providing the White Fang top of the line military tech, your cause would never have gotten as far as they have now and if you report what you've seen today to Sienna, obviously she'll want to abolish this partnership. But I ask you, do you really think that would be the best course of action?" Cinder inquired with her smug smirk from before getting even wider causing Jin to snort while Commander Vickers quietly scoffed and rolled his eyes which went unnoticed from underneath his Beowolf helmet.

"It wouldn't, but it would be better than working with a human who would treat us tools and then throw us away when our perceived usefulness is at an end," Jin scathingly barked causing Cinder to laugh softly as she folded her arms while channeling some of her power into her dress causing the seams of her dress to glow like a campfire.

"And what would you do if I were to sever our partnership here and now? Most members of the White Fang were still using Great War era rifles and zip guns while others had to use what they could get their hands on before I stepped in. You had to scrounge around for supplies like raccoons rummaging through the trash for just one clip of ammo and I highly doubt you want to go back to that. So if you really want to help your cause, you'll tell Sienna Khan that all is well and I will continue to supply the White Fang with the gear they need," Cinder countered coolly causing Jin to open her mouth, but quickly closed it when nothing came to mind before something dawned on her to gaze at the fire witch dead in the eye.

"Actually, we don't need your help. Our branch in Mistral is already reverse engineering the airships and rifles the Mistral Paratroopers use and our branch in Vale is already testing a formula that the Valean Militia uses to create their own bullets. Progess would be slower without your help, I admit that, but we'll manage without it," Jin calmly, but firmly shot back causing the spring maiden to disappointingly shake her head and take out her scroll causing the observer to raise a brow before her eyes went wide as blueprints for the reverse engineered technology she had just talked about became visible for all to see.

"This is very nice work and no doubt it will be a great help for the White Fang if it gets to the mass production stage... _if_ being the keyword. Should someone...destroy these blueprints and then kill anyone who has any knowledge on them, that would greatly set the White Fang back for years to come. Sure, someone down the line could recreate this technology, but you know how the saying goes; accidents happen," Cinder Fall offhandedly responded causing Jin's blood to boil and it took all of her self-control not to not decapitate the maiden as Cinder slowly began walking toward the observer.

"Stop right there!" Commander Vickers shouted as he forgoed warning shots and directly fired at the maiden with a volley of bullets that was meant to just deplete her aura, not outright kill her, but managed to keep his cool when the fire witch raised her palm and watched as the hot pieces of lead bounced off her hand as if it were bullet proof glass.

Preparing to fire another hailstorm of lead, Vickers suddenly ducked his head to the side as the green haired girl flung her sickle attached by a chain towards him and then swatted aside a fast moving salvo of wind dust fired by the silver haired man...with his boot. Widening his eyes, Commander Vickers gnashed his teeth and angrily aimed his rotary cannon at the assassin, but remebered that Jin needed help causing him to turn on a dime and fire upon Cinder with the intent to kill. Smirking, Cinder continued her undaunting walk towards the observer who trembled and unconsciously took a step back when the fire witch surrounded herself in a maelstrom of bright orange flames that melted the flying pieces of lead into searing hot goo upon making contact with her.

Cursing, Commander Vickers was forced to focus on defending himself when his instincts screamed at him to duck which he did and watched as a strong, heavy swing of a chainsaw glanced off his helmet where the teeth made superficial scratches on the side of his helmet which sent hot sparks flying everywhere. Vickers then roughly smashed the butt of his rotary cannon into the ambusher's gut making them wheeze and stagger back before he was forced to block a devastating downward slash that was almost too fast for him to see causing him and his attacker to glower at one another while attemping to gain the advantage on the other. Attemping to twist the rotary cannon to the side so he could smash the butt of the gatling gun into his attacker's cheek and hopefully break their jaw, Vickers suddenly screamed as his attacker was one step ahead of him and planted his steel toed boot into his gut sending him roughly skidding across the dead ground of the wasteland.

Groaning, Vickers tightly gripped the soft dirt in his fingers and attempted to climb to his feet only to yelp when one of his attacker's punt kicked him across the face causing the commander's head to violently snap to the side where he fell back down onto the ground. Feeling his rotary cannon being kicked out of his hands and for one of his attackers to roughly roll him onto his back with a harsh kick to his ribs that made him yowl, all the commander could do now was incredulously stare up at Adam who stomped down on his chest and pointed the tip of his chokuto at his throat.

"Adam, Adolf, what the hell you guys!?" Commander Vickers yelled as Adolf picked up his rotary cannon with a solemn sigh and slung it over his shoulder causing the commander to struggle underneath Adam's boot, but winced when he felt the tip of the folk hero's sword barely pierce the skin on his neck.

"This is how it has to be, Vickers. It was a lesson your brother failed to learn and it's a lesson you're going to learn now," Adam snarled at his downed cohort causing Vickers to ground his teeth, but did nothing that might endanger Jin further as he watched her continue to backpedal from the advancing witch.

Gathering her courage, Jin tightly grasped the shaft of her Ji and thrusted it at the throat of Cinder who lazily leaned her head to the side as the spear didn't even graze her neck and then easily ducked underneath a swipe from the crescent blade that didn't cut a single strand of her hair. Growling, Jin went on an all out offensive that consisted of thrusts, stabs, slashes, and strokes with the spearhead, the crescent blades, and even the butt of her polearm all of which Cinder maneuvered around with laughable ease. Letting out a war cry, Jin swung the crescent blade at Cinder's neck with all her might...only for the maiden to hold her hand up as the metal of the blade shattered like glass against her open palm causing Jin's jaw to drop as she looked at the now broken spearhead and crescent blade of her polearm.

Trembling, Jin vigorously shook her head and attempted to bash the butt end of the Ji right between Cinder's eyes, but the fire witch, having enough of this farce, slipped to the side and trapped the weapon underneath her arm before snapping it in two. Before Jin could process what just happened, Cinder roughly kicked Jin between her legs making the observer's eyes to constrict to the size of pennies and nearly toppled over with a pained cry before the fire witch trapped her in an embrace as if they were going to tango. Regaining her bearings, Jin attempted to break free from Cinder's grip to no avail and suddenly balked when the maiden conjured a searing hot flame in her hand and held it near the observer's face causing Jin's eyes to tremble.

"Now then, perhaps we can start over? What are you going to tell Sienna Khan?" Cinder calmly inquired as she slowly edged the flame closer to Jin's face causing the observer to lean her head as far back as possible away from the fire while feeling beads of sweat roll down her brow.

"T-that...t-that your partnership with Adam is running smoothly and we can expect you to keep providing us with the gear we need," Jin stuttered and felt as if each word was sulfuric acid she was forced to spit up causing Cinder to smirk, but didn't extinguish the open flame in her palm like the observer had hoped.

"Good girl, but I need some...reassurance from you first so that way I know you'll actually do what I say," Cinder remarked while bringing the scorching flame in her palm even closer to the observer's face causing Jin to whimper and struggle with all her might to break free, but Cinder's grip was like iron as the maiden smiked at Jin one last time before planting her open palm onto Jin's eye.

Commander Vickers looked away and closed his eyes as he heard the terrible sound of his CO wailing in absolute agony as one of her eyes and part of her face were scorched to an irreparable crisp before Cinder released the now crying girl and let her fall to the ground. Jin continued to scream bloody murder as Cinder and Mercury smiled, Emerald and Adolf winced, and Adam impassively stared down at the observer as he removed his foot from Vickers's chest. Jin then curled herself into a tight ball while trembling violently causing Adolf and Commander Vickers to check up on her while Cinder Fall and Adam Taurus locked eyes with one another.

"Consider this me forgiving you for your slip up, Adam Taurus. Oh, and by the way, that was me _playing_ _nice_ ," Cinder calmly told the folk hero who slowly nodded as the fire witch and her lackeys took their leave and made their way back to their bullhead causing Adam to tightly grasp Wilt to the point one might think it might break while paying no mind to his injured cohort.

Waiting until Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald had boarded their bullhead and departed to wherever they were staying at, Adam furiously cut down the nearest tree with Wilt causing the tree to fall to the ground with an earth shaking thud. Growling, the folk hero glanced at his comrades where he saw Adolf take off his jacket, tear off one of the edges, and tie it around Jin's face before placing his jacket over her like a blanket. Commander Vickers then picked up Jin in his arms bridal style causing Adam to roll his eyes and shake his head making Adolf growl, but say nothing as he gave Vickers his rotary cannon back.

"If you guys are done coddling her, it's time to leave," Adam seethed causing Adolf to hesitantly nod and gently pat Jin's shoulder before trudging into the bullhead while Vickers shot the folk hero a hateful glare which Adam was all too eager to return before the commander silently boarded the aircraft with Jin in his arms.

* * *

Snorting, the battle scarred Alpha Beowolf subtly glared down at the White Fang soldiers patrolling its territory, now matter how temporary it was, as if they owned the place and that made the Grimm want more than anything to go down there and show them who's boss. Yet, common sense developed over countless millennia kicked in and thus it continued to watch the soldiers from a reinforced window in what the Grimm believed the humans called a _movie theater._ While it certainly wasn't the first place it and it's comrade had considered to make their temporary den, it was glad they did as the building had no external windows and what windows it had were safely atop the second floor.

Next, the doors and windows themselves were clearly meant to withstand a riot if the solid material it was built with was anything to go by and on top of that, the Elder Grimm found by complete accident protective, steel coverings that it could pull down to further protect the doors and windows while examining them one day. After dealing with any of its kin and White Fang soldiers that got too close, the Elder Grimm pulled the covers down on all of the entry points on the first floor and left a few windows on the second floor open, but secured with sturdy, metal pipes it had welded to the windows in order to act as bars.

Seeing the terrorists pass, the Elder Grimm snorted and turned back to its guests, the two faunus it had rescued, who were heavily bandaged like mummies and resting in the bedrolls that they had brought along with them. Kneeling down next to them, the battle scarred Alpha Beowolf checked over their bandages and saw that both needed to be changed causing the Elder Grimm to trudge toward what use to be a snack bar and grabbed the necessary materials. Suddenly, it's ears perked up as the slow, but deliberate footsteps of its cohort slowly walked towards it while making the floor shake slightly. The Elder Grimm patiently watched as its cohort, a Menhitte which was based on what the humans call a lioness, entered the room and glanced at the impromptu medical supplies in its comrade's hands before grabbing some of the medical equipment as well.

" _Did the members of the Beast Tribe pass?"_ the Menhitte asked while gazing at the betrayer not with the piercing crimson eyes of all Grimm, but with dull red ones that faintly flickered like a candle about to go out.

Nodding, the Alpha Beowolf took off Gates's old bandages, thoroughly washed and disinfected his wounds on his arm, and began the process of putting on new ones as its comrade, one the Alpha Beowolf would dare call the human concept of friend, diligently attended to Ashanti.

" _Where is the Alpha and her helper? I thought they weren't supposed to go into the human den until 42 moonrises from now,"_ the Menhitte irritably inquired as its long, whip like tail swished back and forth causing the Alpha Beowolf to shrug as it cleaned and disinfected the wounds on Gates's other arm before wrapping bandages around them.

" _Do not know, could have gone into city earlier than expected with Wilma,"_ the betrayer replied as it cleaned and disinfected Gates's wounds on his upper body before bandaging them as the Menhitte slowly removed the bloodied bandaged on Ashanti's thigh revealing the large, nasty gash that was only beginning to heal.

" _Then one of these beastmen will have to contact her and the helper when they're able while one of us will need to go the outskirts and direct them here once the hunting party of beastmen pass. We need all the help we can get to stop the rider from unleashing thousands of our kin upon the human den,"_ the Menhitte responded as it gently cleaned and disinfected Ashanti's gash which made the girl whimper as the Elder Grimm wrapped her thigh in bandages.

" _Benefactor's idea, White Fang merely meant to carry it out which Nuckelavee is trying to facilitate,"_ the traitor corrected as it carefully removed the bandages on Gates's broken hand and cautiously applied new ones as the demonic lioness snorted and slowly removed the bandage on Ashanti's shoulder which revealed the wide, vicious stab wound on the girl's shoulder that was slow to seal up.

" _All the more reason why aiding the light-wielders will be so important; stopping one phase of the fire witch's plan will give us time do deal with the other ones,"_ the Menhitte responded as it treated the girl's injury and rewrapped it before wiping its bloodied hands and slowly unraveling the bandages the girl's face making Ashanti wince.

" _Benefactor merely one member of our former master's pack; need to find way to deal with other packmates once goal here is finished,"_ the betrayer pointed out while placing little bandage strips on the cuts marring Gates's face causing the monstrous lioness to grunt before the traitor's ears perked up while the long, dark red scar that started underneath the Menhitte's armpit and stretched down to its hip began to glow like a flashlight about to go out.

Both Elder Grimm heard their former mistress telepathically order them along with any other Grimm in the area to reinforce the outskirts of Mountain Glenn as the Valean Militia were apparently getting too nosy, but due to having countless years of getting used to the ever-present entity of their mistress in their heads, they were able to ignore her orders. Finishing up treating their charges, the Menhitte decided to lay down on its belly behind Ashanti and Gates causing the betrayer to stare at the demonic lioness stonefaced.

" _We must also deal with the rider in this territory. The one in the far east is bad enough, we do not need to contend with two,"_ the monstrous lioness added causing the betrayer to snort and trudge over to the window where it saw that the soldiers of the White Fang had fortunately overlooked the movie theater.

" _Barely survived against the one in Mistral; don't know how you intend for us to kill the one in Vale,"_ the betrayer remarked while folding its arm causing the Menhitte to pop open an irritated eye and release a low, guttural growl before lightly nipping the traitor's calf causing the Alpha Beowolf to yelp before narowing its eyes at its cohort.

" _Perhaps the Alpha's pride could be of assistance since they hold no allegiance to the Beast Tribe or the light-wielders,"_ the Mehitte suggested before yowling as the betrayer gently raked the claws on its feet against the demonic feline's back causing the monstrous lioness to glower at her comrade, but took no retalitory action.

" _Like us, they are alone,"_ the battle scarred Alpha Beowolf solemnly added causing the Menhitte to stare down at the ground long and hard before patting the ground next to it causing the betrayer to roll its eyes, but nevertheless laid down on the ground next to its heavier, stronger, and taller comrade.

" _We should train the Alpha and her pride of beastmen so they'll be formidable enough to be a help instead of a hindrance to the light-wielders. We can start with the Beta and the Brute once they're physically capable,"_ the Menhitte grumbled as it diligently watched over the two faunus while the betrayer kept a lookout for any Grimm or White Fang members that ventured too close to their temporary den.

" _Sure,"_ the betrayer mumbled as it spared a glance at Ashanti and Gates and hoped that wherever Wilma and Lacey were right now, they were safe as it continued to scan the ruined streets below like a hawk.

As creatures of Grimm, things such as heat and the cold didn't hinder them as much as it did a human or faunus and sleep was a non-issue so nestling so close to one another was unnecessary. However, the gesture was certainly appreciated as the Menhitte rested its chin atop the betrayer's head while the combat weary Alpha Beowolf laid its head down on the demonic lioness's paws and underneath its cohort's neck.

 _ **Grimm Bestiary**_

 _ **Menhitte: Realizing the need for a tougher Grimm equivalent of infantry, the Menhittes were created to and effectively serve as the counterparts to any human or faunus rapid deployment force. Made with supple, yet tough bodies that allow them to dodge volleys of fire and survive a few direct shots from rifles if they're unable to get out of the way in time, they're the "tip of the spear" of advancing Grimm forces. Once an enemy has been identified, they attempt to send them into disarray with rudimentary tactics and strategims (older Menhittes are capable of more complex planning) in order to leave them ill prepared for the advancing swarms of their fellow Grimm.**_

 _ **Despite seeming imposing due to being taller, heavier, and stronger than a Beowolf of similar age, Menhittes are widely considered by the world at large to be just blown up Beowolves which isn't without merit as like their lupine brethren, they're killed in droves whenever they engage human or faunus forces. However, Menhittes often suffer less casualties than Beowolves (they're exceptions) when engaging an enemy which is why any and all attempts should be made to kill any of these creature of Grimm attempting to flee. Should they successfully manage to retreat, they will bring far stronger and more powerful Grimm back with them.**_

 _Happy belated New Year everyone! -Negative 97_


	17. Chapter 17 Second Chance

Ch.17

Second Chance

 _RWBY is the property of its respective owners, Ocs belong to me_

"This...I don't even know what to say," the Chief of Police, Asher muttered as he saw the footage of Roman's mech tearing through the streets and knocking away any cars unfortuante to get in the way with impunity while Lisa watched the video with wide eyes.

"It's a tragedy, one that the public has to be made aware of. With your permission, I can take this video back to the studio and air it during the VNN news broadcast," Lisa suggested causing Asher to sigh heavily and place a hand on his brow while pacing around the room as Wilma and Lacey silently watched this exchange.

"Now hold on, while it's true that Roman was the main reason these people died, the huntsman in this video unintentionally played a part in it too. If people see this video, then they're just going to see huntsman as loose cannons," Chief Asher pointed out with a huff causing Lisa to nod as she cupped her hands underneath her chin before releasing a heavy breathe.

"But if we try to cover this up and it's discovered, then it shows that we aren't holding our guardians responsible for their actions," Lisa added solemnly as she pinched the bridge of her nose before running both of her hands over her face causing Lacey to furrow her brow before her eyes went wide.

"Ooh, you guys could blame me for it! The people will have someone to blame and they'll still look up to the huntsman for inspiration!" Lacey suggested causing Lisa to grumble and nearly shouted absolutely not, but managed to keep her cool while Chief Asher raised a brow before chuckling softly causing Lacey to raise a brow.

"We can't do that to you; Ironwood already wants to have you shot so if we pin the blame on you he's going to want your head on a pike," Asher replied causing the huntsman hopeful to slump down in her chair which made Wilma gently rub her friend's back before awkwardly coughing into her hand which gained Lisa and Chief Asher's attention.

"Um...I think you guys should show everyone the video. Everyone has to be responsible for their actions, no matter who they are," Wilma stated softly, but firmly causing Lisa to say nothing while the chief of police looked down at the floor contemplatively before sighing heavily.

"The kid's right; Ozpin's not going to like this, but the people and especially the families of the victims deserve to know what happened. I'll go tell him the news and then I'll send the victim's families the video. Lisa, you air it on the news and make sure everyone knows," Asher ordered causing Lisa to transfer the video from Lacey's scroll to hers while the chief did the same before he stared at the two former White Fang soldiers which made Wilma avert her gaze from him.

"Now, what to do with you two? As an officer, I'm obligated to hold any White Fang soldiers I find in lockup and I have to turn in any rogue huntsman to their kingdom's council which would be Atlas in this case," Asher stated with his hands in his coat pocket causing Wilma to wince and slowly glance at Lacey where she saw her friend trying to remain calm, but saw Lacey's hand shake ever so slightly.

"I'm sorry girls; your information was the silver bullet we were looking for, but I have to enforce what the law says. I'll do my best to help you guys, but don't hold your breathe," Chief Asher said causing Wilma to sigh heavily and slowly nod while Lacey looked down at the reflective table before picking her head up.

"Well, it'll be nice to see some old friends again even if it's not in the most ideal circumstances," Lacey quipped as two officers uncuffed Wilma and Lacey from the table and began leading them to lockup as Lisa suddenly glanced at Asher who grumbled, but held his hand up causing the two officers to stop in their tracks.

"I'll find a way to help you two," Lisa assured the duo causing Wilma to grin while Lacey laughed, but nodded gratefully as the cops continued to lead them to their cells.

* * *

"Chief, I know you're angry-"

"Angry is an understatement! Ever since people saw your student's little escapade in the city a few days ago on national television, everyone in Vale is worried they're going to be next on the chopping block the next time your students decide to run amok!" Chief Asher yelled in controlled fury causing Glynda narrow her eyes at the police chief while Ironwood glared at the lawman, but Asher could have cared less.

"Chief, I assure you I've already dealt out a proper punishment to the aforementioned huntsman," the esteemed headmaster informed his ally causing Asher to put his hands in his coat pocket while narrowing his eyes at Ozpin.

"This better be good," Asher gruffly barked as Lisa Lavender, who opted to remain silent for the time being, listened carefully to what Beacon's headmaster was about to say from her chair a few feet back from Ozpin's desk.

"Not only do Team RWBY, Sun Wukong, and Neptune Vasilias have to help around the school for the next few weeks, they will also assist construction crews rebuild the destroyed sections of the city and meet up with the victim's families after their classes," Ozpin responded calmly causing the police chief to furrow his brow before nodding slowly while Lisa made sure to write down what the headmaster just said.

"Alright, I guess that's fair. No sense banning them from the Vytal Festival considering they feel bad enough for what they did, right?" Asher remarked as Ozpin took a sip from his mug before setting it down and coolly gazing at the lawman while Lisa continued to watch their conversation in silence until she felt her intervention was needed.

"Indeed, in fact the Vytal Festival might help them take their minds off of things," Ozpin replied causing the police chief to nod as Ironwood suddenly stepped forward causing Asher to narrow his eyes at the general who stubbornly stood his ground.

"Onto other matters, you have the deserter in lockup?" Ironwood stated as more of a fact rather than a question causing the police chief to nod as Lisa, who had remained silent for most of this exchange, stood up from her chair.

"I do, and don't think for a second I don't know how deserters in Atlas are treated in court just because I was Vale raised, Ironwood. While I'm obligated to turn her into you, I'm also obligated to make sure that she'll be treated humanely in your custody which is something I'm not sure of at the moment," Asher derisively snapped causing the general to glare at the lawman who glowered back at him as Lisa cleared her thoat causing Ironwood to glare at the police chief one last time before focusing his attention on the reporter.

"General Ironwood, I talked with Lacey over the last few days to get her side of the story and I believe this recording will shed some light on the concerns you have," Lisa finally cut in which made Ironwood's calm stare turn into a harsh, steely gaze, but all the reporter did was calmly stare back at him.

If she could face down hardened criminals, fanatical terrorists, and the creatures of Grimm, then she could certainly face down the general of the Atlesian military. After a moment of staring each other down, Ironwood gestured with his hand for the reporter to proceed causing Lisa to take her scroll out of her purse and type something into it causing everyone to hear the deserter Ironwood was worried about speak.

" _General, I know you're suspicious of me and you have every right to be, but I assure you I didn't tell the White Fang anything about Atlas's military capabilities. Okay, so I may have told my three friends about weak points in the soldier's armor after the heist at the outpost, but I swear I only told them and they didn't share it with anyone. Anyway, when I joined the White Fang out of angry, irriational impulse, I still knew how dangerous and extreme they were and as such, I presented myself as just another random, unremarkable faunus wanting to take the fight to our human oppressors. Furthermore...well...I was just so damn depressed after having my dream essentially be spat and pissed upon because of my race that I wasn't even in the state of mind to tell anyone anything important regarding Atlas,_ " the recording of Lacey stated causing Ozpin to purse his lips, Glynda to raise a brow, and Ironwood to snort skeptically, but said nothing as he continued to listen to the recording.

" _Hell, I spent most of my time lying face down in my pillow and crying. And by crying, I mean crying like a baby. Uh...y-you're not recording this, right? I-I thought we were practicing first and then you were going to record. ...You are? Okay...um...j-just ignore the preceding statements in this passage, General Ironwood. Anywho, you don't have to worry about seeing any badass White Fang soldiers with Atlesian military training because remember, I didn't tell them anything and I would have been too depressed otherwise. Now as for if I actually trained anyone with the skills I learned from Mantle's Recommendation Training Program..I mean, yes?"_ the recording continued causing Ironwood to nearly shout at Lisa to turn the thing off and order Asher to immediately transfer Lacey to Atlesian military custody, but the reporter held her hand up causing Ironwood to reluctantly belay his order.

" _Just to clarify, in the six months I've been with the White Fang, my fighting skills have seriously dulled so if we were to make comparisons between me and say Ciel Soleil, she was my bunk mate and friend back at the program fyi, I would be a rusted, broken dagger compared to her finely crafted knife. Th-that doesn't sound like sexual innuendo, right? Um...when I met one of the three friends I mentioned, I taught him what I remembered about how to properly shoot a rifle and close quarters combat, but since I hadn't kept up with my training, it was crude compared to the teachings back at the program. When I met my other two friends, I also tried to teach them as best as I could while trying to regain some of my former fighting skill so don't worry, I only trained my three friends with my half-forgotten, incomplete, Atlesian military training,"_ the recording finished causing Lisa to let a smile tug at the corner of her lips before it disappeared behind a blank gaze as Ozpin remained expressionless while Glynda pushed her glasses up to the bridge of her nose before they both glanced at Ironwood who was looking down at the floor.

"Well, that was...something. Mrs. Lavender, could you have perhaps shown us a more professional recording?" Glynda inquired causing Lisa to immediately nod while putting her scroll back in her purse causing Ironwood to pick his head up and warily gaze at the reporter who crossed one arm over her chest.

"Of course, but I believed it painted a more accurate picture of the girl General Ironwood wants to put down like a mad dog," Lisa scathingly remarked with as much venom she could muster causing Ironwood to calmly exhale and put his scroll onto Ozpin's desk where he brought up footage of the attack on the outpost.

"If you two want to bring up how Team RWBY, Sun Wukong, and Neptune Vasilias accidentally helped Torchwick kill people, then you should look at the girl you're trying to defend," Ironwood shot back causing Asher to snort while Lisa folded her arms as they saw Atlesian soldiers and Valean militia men hacked to pieces by the White Fang lieutenant or riddled with bullets by Elite White Fang soldiers.

"If you want to committ the logical fallacy of whataboutism, then fine. By doing so, you're ignoring something important," Lisa coolly responded as she walked up to Ozpin's desk and sped up the video right when the Spider Tank shot a fiery hole through the hangar where Wilma, Lacey, Ashanti, and Gates were hiding in.

"If they had just followed their orders and killed anyone who got in their way, it would have made their mission to steal the dust a whole lot easier so don't compare the two situations when the huntsman inadvertently got people killed and had no control over it while Wilma, Lacey, and their friends did, but chose not to," Lisa retorted causing Ironwood to snort as everyone saw Ashanti averting her fire away from Atlesian soldiers dragging their downed comrades into cover and Gates shooting tin men in areas that they could survive being shot in if their aura was depleted save for one unfortunate soldier who got a hunting boomerang to the head.

Lacey, while shooting Atlesian soldiers with precise shots to the chest or shoulder, made sure not to shoot any fallen soldiers while Wilma did down a fair chunk of tin men, but for the most part played the role as a suppressor by keeping the tin men in cover with a hailstorm of bullets. Sighing, Ozpin glanced at Ironwood who said nothing and calmly removed his scroll from his friend's desk where Beacon's headmaster took a long sip from his mug before regarding Lisa with a calm, blank gaze.

"What do you and Chief Asher suggest we do then, Mrs. Lavender? We can't just let them go and there's still the matter of the other two friends Lacey mentioned in her recording," Ozpin inquired causing the reporter to take a deep breathe in and let it back out before staring directly into General Ironwood's eyes.

"Have them stay with me and when it's time to go to Mountain Glenn, send them ahead to meet up with their friends. They can make sure the coast is clear before your huntsman, Mrs. Nguyen, and I are sent in. As for their friends, Lacey told me they defected from the White Fang with them, but the girls haven't been able to get into contact with them since Adam hacked their communications," Lisa explained causing Ironwood cross one arm over his chest and put one hand under his chin as he thought about the potential consquences this offer could have.

"James, if Lacey and her friend were truly working against Atlas, she wouldn't have risked her life to give vital information to the press and the authorities about the White Fang," Glynda pointed out causing Ironwood to grumble as he continued to ponder over this before he irritably sighed.

"Even if I wanted to show the deserter and her friend mercy which is an option I'm still not confident approving of, we have too many people going on the recon mission already," Ironwood retorted causing Lisa to grunt, but knew he was right as she glanced at Asher for help, but all the police chief could do was shrug uncertainly.

"Ironwood is right; too much people for a recon mission will only draw too much attention to ourselves which is something we can't afford when Roman Torchwick could start the breach early if they're discovered," Ozpin agreed causing Asher to ground his teeth while Lisa tightly clenched her fists before relaxing her hand as a eureka moment popped into her head.

"We could split into two teams. Mrs. Nguyen, Wilma, Lacey, their friends, and I can be responsible for reporting the base's external defenses while the huntsman will be responsible for infiltrating the base and reporting the base's internal defenses," Lisa suggested causing Ironwood to grumble and rub his chin thoughtfully before glancing at Ozpin who raised a brow.

"It could work if that's okay with you, Ozpin," Ironwood deferred to his friend who nodded slowly causing the reporter to inwardly cheer while outwardly just smiling ever so slightly before it disappeared behind a wooden stare.

"As for your earlier offer, I'm still not entirely convinced of the deserter's loyalty to Atlas, but her recent actions and your recordings compelled me to at least give her a chance so how about a compromise?" Ironwood suggested causing Lisa Lavender and Chief Asher to glance at one another befor the police chief slowly nodded causing the reporter to warily gaze at Ironwood.

"We're listening," Lisa replied as she put her hands on her hips causing Ironwood to nod and set his scroll down on Ozpin's desk which brought up a hologram of the base the Atlas fleet set up in Vale.

"I will release the deserter and her friend into your care if you along with them stay with Tai Nguyen at the base with the rest of my fleet until the mission to Mountain Glenn. The deserter and her friend will help the personnel around the base to fulfill part of their community service and then complete the rest of it during the mission" Ironwood counteroffered causing Lisa to put her hands on her hips while the police chief put his hands in his coat pocket while staring at the Ironwood with narrowed eyes.

"General, you and I know that some of your troops haven't completely accepted faunus into their ranks and having two of them, former White Fang soldiers no less, being in such close proximity to them may not be the best idea. May I suggest an alternative?" Ozpin politely requested causing Ironwood to raise a brow, but hesitantly nodded causing the esteemed headmaster to bring up a hologram of the section of Beacon Atlas Academy students were staying in.

"Instead of having them stay at the base your soldiers set up, how about having the four of them stay in an empty dorm with the students from your academy? I believe it would be a more comfortable environment for them and we'll find jobs for Mrs. Brenton and Mrs. Lacey around Beacon once they get settled," Ozpin suggested causing Ironwood to narrow his eyes at the headmaster before giving a barely noticeable nod in response while Lisa suddenly raised a brow.

"What happens to Wilma and Lacey after the recon mission?" Lisa inquired causing Ironwood to snort and put his hands behind his back while Asher placed his hands in his coat pocket and warily glanced at the general.

"They will continue to work at Beacon and accept assignments that focus on the White Fang. Should our agreement be violated, Lacey will be shipped off to Atlas where she'll be put on trial for desertion and terrorism. As much as I appreciate her attempts to make up for her service in the White Fang, her recent actions won't be enough to prevent her execution and as for her friend, I'm sure a few years in juvenile hall will suffice," Ironwood bluntly responded causing the reporter to exhale and look down at the floor while rubbing her chin where she pursed her lips and ran a hand through her hair.

Essentially, Wilma and Lacey would have no choice but continue to work for the huntsman if they didn't want huntsman, police, or even mercenaries looking for a quick score to be on their tail which the council could mobilize in no time at all. Lisa nearly chuckled under her breathe, but managed to maintain her composure; she was sure the girls could handle whatever the council threw at them and it wouldn't be too unbelievable if they "escaped" from her after the mission. Sure, Ozpin, the Valean Council, the Atlesian Council, and especially Ironwood wouldn't be too happy about it, but those are the breaks.

"Can we have a minute?" Lisa requested causing Ironwood to snort, but nevertheless nod causing the reporter to walk to the corner of the room where she crossed her arms over her chest as Asher spared a glance at Ironwood before looking back at her.

"Lisa, you know Ironwood and Ozpin are only doing this so they can keep a close eye on you, Wilma, and Lacey. If you take their offer, you'd practically have Atlesian huntsman and soldiers breathing down your neck every hour of the day and I also have my suspicions, but I can't confirm it, that the woman in this video may be working with Torchwick and by proxy, the White Fang. What's worse is that she's been seen attending classes at Beacon and walking around like she owns the damn place," Asher reasoned quietly as he showed her a blurred video of what appeared to be a woman wearing an extravagant, red dress flinging searing hot debris at Professor Goodwitch above the dust shop in Vale.

"I don't know why Ozpin isn't doing anything, but I know he knows that she's somehow involved in all this and he's preventing me or Ironwood from moving in on her. I'm just saying, you're not a popular woman with the White Fang right now and being so close to an enemy only makes things worse," Asher muttered in a tone that was practically begging for the reporter to reconsider as Lisa looked down at the floor long and hard before letting out a heavy sigh.

"If we don't, then Lacey get's executed and Wilma stays behind bars," Lisa responded with a sour grumble causing Asher to take a deep breathe in and let it back out before clasping the reporter's shoulder.

"Alright, just...call me if you need anything," Asher told Lisa worriedly causing the reporter to nod as she approached Ozpin's desk where the general stared at her with a steely gaze

"I accept your offer," Lisa stated causing Ironwood to nod and take out his scroll and make the arrangements while Ozpin clasped his hands underneath his chin before calmly staring at Lisa and Chief Asher.

"If our business here is concluded, I suggest you inform Mrs. Brenton and Mrs. Lacey of their new living arrangements, Mrs. Lavender. Also, if you could have Mrs. Brenton and Mrs. Lacey turn their scrolls into my office, perhaps we could find a way for them to safely communicate with their friends back in Mountain Glenn?" Ozpin suggested causing Lisa to snort, but nevertheless nod as she turned on her heel and walked toward the elevator while Asher warily gazed at both Ironwood and Ozpin before following the reporter.

"Well, that went better than I expected. You didn't even have to use the dirt you found on Ironwood and Ozpin," Asher quietly muttered as he along with Lisa entered the elevator and shut it while the reporter let out a long, exhausted sigh and brushed some of her hair back.

"I considered it when they practically wanted Wilma, Lacey, and I to be glorified prisoners at Beacon, but I figured it would just cause negotiations to go sour," Lisa replied as she stretched her stiff body causing the police chief to take out his scroll and check to see if he had any new messages from one of the victim's family's attorneys.

"I understand, just be careful while you're at Beacon. There may be more to this than we know," Asher reminded his friend who nodded tiredly with a grin tugging at the corner of her lips as the police chief and the reporter spent the rest of the ride down in silence.

* * *

Taking a deep breathe in and letting it back out, Wilma got herself in a handstand and held herself in this position with no signs of strain while Lacey was doing a variation of sit-ups with both of her legs held straight and high into the air where she would attempt to touch her elbow to her opposite knee. There wasn't really much else to do for the two girls to do in their cell except exercise and wait to hear if Lisa Lavender and Chief Asher managed to fulfill their promise or not.

As Wilma worked out, she thought about the conversation Lisa and Chief Asher had before leaving the station to go talk to General Ironwood who supposedly had some major role in deciding what was going to happen. From what she heard, the odds against a deserter, especially one who joined the White Fang, were already bad, but Lacey being a faunus made things even worse. Growling under her breathe, Wilma briefly glared at the floor as if it had wronged her in some way before glancing at Lacey who waved at her with a fanged grin causing the stout faunus to smile and wave back.

"Lacey, was it part of your plan for us to be imprisoned?" Wilma suddenly asked causing the huntsman hopeful to complete another sit up while blushing ever so slightly causing the stout faunus to raise a brow.

"No, but I...kind of expected it to happen," Lacey timidly answered causing Wilma to purse her lips as she reached 300 seconds in her head and got herself in a sitting position where she decided to rest for a minute.

"Okay, but you did have a plan to break us out, right?" Wilma questioned her friend causing Lacey to awkwardly cough and avert her gaze to the side which made Wilma narrow her eyes at the huntsman hopeful.

"Muh," Lacey sheepishly replied as she continued her workout while trying to avoid eye contact with her friend causing Wilma to put a hand on Lacey's shoulder which prevented the saltwater crocodile faunus from getting up.

"Right?" Wilma asked with a bit more force behind her voice than usual before removing her hand from her friend's shoulder causing Lacey to slowly sit up with her legs close to her chest while Wilma stared at her friend with her hands on her hips.

"So...I may have expected this to happen, but I didn't figure a way out for us to deal with it," Lacey hesitantly answered while rubbing the back of her head causing Wilma's brow to twitch and her lips to quiver making the huntress hopeful hold her hands up to placate Wilma who looked like her long fuse was getting shorter.

"B-but, don't worry! I'll bust us out of here if Lisa and Chief Asher can't find a way to help us out," Lacey stuttered while frantically waving her hands causing Wilma to continue to stare at her friend a brief, but tense moment before the reindeer faunus sighed softly and put herself in a handstand once again.

"How?" Wilma asked curiously while staring at her friend as best as she could in the position she was in as Lacey rolled her shoulders and popped her neck before gripping the bars of their cell tightly with her hands and tail.

"Like so," Lacey responded as she began trying to pull the bars apart with all the strength she could muster, but the metal bars weren't bending in any way causing Wilma to resist the urge to roll her eyes and waited for Lacey to give up.

Suddenly, Wilma's went wide as saucers when Lacey, with sheer physical strength, slowly managed to bend the bars that were meant to contain huntsman that had semblances that increased their physical capabilities. Putting her hands on her knees and slumping over, Lacey greedily gulped down copious amounts of air as streams of sweat poured down her brow before she tiredly turned to Wilma with an exhausted grin.

"Ta...*sigh*...ta da!" Lacey weakly croaked while waving her hands causing Wilma to look between her friend and the bents bars before the huntress hopeful gripped them yet again and proceeded to contort them into their original shape.

"W-wait, you can do that!? Why didn't you do that earlier!?" Wilma incredulously asked her friend who laid down on the ground and proceeded to do normal crunches while reindeer faunus finished her second set and took a one minute rest.

"Because Chief Asher, the police, and Lisa Lavender have been kind to us so I don't want to get on their bad side and besides, you want to see if they found a way to help us and I do too," Lacey answered as she finished her set of crunches and put her feet on one of their beds where she proceeded to do push ups from her elevated position on her fingertips while Wilma grumbled, but knew Lacey was right.

Realizing her break was up, Wilma got down onto all fours and put herself in a plank position where she began counting to 300 seconds before they both suddenly heard a door opening down the hall. Raising a brow, Wilma heard a chorus of footsteps getting closer to their cell where she saw Lisa Lavender and Chief Asher suddenly come into view and stop in front of their cell causing Wilma to stop her workout while Lacey respectfully stared at them, but continued her push ups.

"So, how did it go? Did you manage to change General Ironwood's mind, or am I still going to eat a lead sandwich?" Lacey quipped as she finished another push up causing Chief Asher to say nothing as put something into the lock causing Wilma to raise a brow while Lacey stopped her push ups and sat on the edge of the bed.

Wilma's eyes widened when she heard the cell door unlock and when the police chief pushed the door open, all Wilma could do was confusedly get up while Lacey merely raised a brow and stood up as well.

"The former, kind of. Chief Asher had some of his officers set up supplies you two will need while living at Beacon and he was kind enough to give us a ride there," Lisa responded with a grin tugging at her lips when she saw the two girl's confusion and nearly doubled over laughing when she saw Lacey's jaw drop.

While Wilma couldn't wrap her head around what exactly Lisa and Chief Asher did, she was ecstatic that her friend was going to be able to live causing her to rush out of her cell pull both the reporter and the police chief into a full on embrace. Lisa went stiff for a moment before returning the hug with a grin while Asher chuckled warmly and affectionately rubbed the girl's head as Wilma looked up at both of them a wide, happy smile.

"Th-thank you! You guys said you would find a way to help us and you did!" Wilma profusely thanked the two adults as she released her hold on them while Lacey walked out of her cell while shaking her head.

"Well, I guess I know now why you're considered to be one of the best reporters on Remnant," Lacey remarked with a grin as she approached Lisa and extended her hand to the reporter who chuckled softly before giving Lacey's hand a light shake.

"Well that, and there's not too many reporters willing to risk getting shot, stabbed, eaten, and/or blown up to get the full story," Lisa lightheartedly replied causing Lacey to chuckle as she released her grip on the reporter's hand and then extended her hand to the police chief who tightly gripped the offered appendage causing Lacey to laugh softly before tightening her grip as well.

"I don't know if we can pull something off like this again so you two keep yourself out of trouble, understand?" Asher ordered in a blunt, but kind tone as he released his grip on Lacey's hand while Wilma slyly grinned and put a hand on her friend's shoulder causing Lacey to raise a brow.

"Don't worry, chief. I'll be sure to keep her out of trouble," Wilma assured the police chief causing Lacey's brow to irritably twitch while shooting her friend an annoyed smile as Lisa chuckled quietly before regaining her composure.

"Alright girls, come on. I'll tell you what's going to happen on the way to Beacon," Lisa informed the two girls causing the huntsman hopeful to respectfully salute the police chief who returned the gesture while the reindeer faunus waved goodbye to the police chief who happily waved back at her,

Following her two friends down the hall, Wilma cheerfully hummed to herself and hoped that Ashanti and Gates were doing fine while setting up their new base near the outpost like Lacey asked.


	18. Chapter 18 Bad Start

Ch.18

Bad Start

 _RWBY is the property of its respective owners, Ocs belong to me_

"So you have to live at Beacon for two weeks?" Cyril restated as Lisa went about setting up her belongings in one of the cabinets and then put her scroll down on her bed and put it on speaker.

"Yes," Lisa replied as she spared a glance at her charges where she saw Lacey inspecting one of the beds meticulously like it was a fine piece of art while Wilma stared at her friend with her head tilted.

"With two former White Fang soldiers and a tin man they were just shooting at a few weeks ago?" Cyril worriedly continued as the reporter fluffed her pillow before setting it down and sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Yes," Lisa responded as if it were no big deal before jolting when she heard a loud creak causing her to glance at her roommates and saw Wilma and Lacey hoisting the bed the former huntress candidate was looking at up in the air.

"While being surrounded by Atlesian soldiers and huntsman who are going to watch your every move?" Lisa's colleague and friend rattled on as the two girls carefully placed the legs of the bed down on the supports of the other bed causing the reporter to purse her lips, but say nothing.

"Yes," Lisa answered as she saw Lacey sprinkle a small amount of fire dust crystals onto her hand and tighten her grip on the minerals causing the reporter to raise a brow as she grabbed her suitcase and went about setting up her clothes for tomorrow.

"On top of that, you're in close proximity to the woman who's potentially working for Torchwick and the White Fang along with her two cronies?" Cyril uneasily went on causing Lisa mumble something incomprehensible as she took off her restrictive business suit and replaced it with a comfortable purple undershirt.

"Yes," Lisa replied as she took off her pants and put on comfy, gray sweat pants while raising a brow when she heard something like a stove burning causing her to glance in the direction of the noise and saw Lacey blowing a small stream of flames on the bed legs.

"And if you break the deal, Lacey's going to get gunned down while Wilma goes to juvenile hall?" Cyril finished concernedly as Lisa neatly folded her dirty business shirt and pants and put them in one of the bottom drawers before glancing at Wilma who didn't look like she was struggling to hold the bed up by herself.

"That's the gist of it," Lisa responded as she picked up her scroll and laid down on her bed with a hand behind her head before glancing at the two girls once more where she saw the huntress hopeful finish welding the second to last bed leg together.

"Lisa, this sounds like a really bad idea; what if you get hurt or...killed?" Cyril concernedly pointed out causing the reporter to roll onto her side and reach into her purse where she put her hand cannon underneath her pillow.

"You know that's a risk I'm willing to take," Lisa answered as she stared up at the ceiling with a calm, blank gaze and heard her friend give a long, heavy sigh in response.

"I know, it's just...be careful, okay?" Cyril requested causing the reporter to let a smile tug at the corner of her lips before chuckling under her breathe.

"No promises, but I'll try," Lisa responded as she cut off the call and placed her scroll on top of a drawer where she saw Lacey finish welding the bed legs together creating a makeshift bunk bed causing the former huntress candidate to inspect her work.

"Hey, so I've been thinking about something," Lacey suddenly said while putting a hand underneath her chin causing the stout faunus to raise a brow as her friend sniffed and then licked one of the metallic bed legs before nodding in approval.

"About what?" Wilma inquired as Lisa grabbed her pillow and hand cannon and got off of her bed causing the two girls to grasp her bed and lift it into the air where they gently set it down on the supports of the last bed.

"It's just that every huntsman team has a cool name and I know we're not huntsman, but I think it's appropriate we have one _._ Problem is, I can't think of anything! For you, me, Ashanti, and Gates, the only name I could come up with is LWAG or LA-WAG if you want to be fancy, but the hell does LWAG stand for!?" Lacey irritably explained causing Wilma to chuckle softly while Lisa grinned ever so slightly as the saltwater crocodile faunus made sure her friend had a secure grip on the bed before taking out another batch of fire dust crystals.

Taking a deep breathe in and letting it back out, Lacey once again managed to conjure a small stream of flames in her hand causing her to direct it towards the metallic suppots while Lisa, despite knowing that she wasn't as strong as either of her two charges, helped Wilma hold the bed up. Wilma smiled and nodded at the reporter for the help who nodded back as the former huntress candidate continued to carefully weld the supports together.

"However, Lisa and Tai are filling in Ashanti and Gates's spots, I guess were called LLWT or LA-LWT now, but it has the same problem!" Lacey exclaimed with a huff causing Wilma to just sigh softly and smile as her friend finished up welding the legs of the bed together while Lisa raised a brow.

"LLWT? Why did you put our names in that order?" Lisa questioned the young girl who smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head while Wilma curiously stared at her friend while spreading her bedsheet on one of the bottom beds.

"Well, you're our courageous leader, I'm your competent second in command, Wilma is our dependable, trusted friend, and Tai provides front-line support," Lacey answered causing Lisa to narrow her eyes and fold her arms while Wilma said nothing as she removed the pillow on her bed and placed it on the cabinet.

"I don't mind being second in command or any other role really, but why am I considered the leader?" Lisa inquired causing Wilma to carefully maneuver her head so she could sit down on the edge of the bed, but wound up bumping one of her antlers against the supports anyway causing her to yelp and rub her appendage.

"Because you know the inner workings of Remnant better than I do and your job, besides reporting the news obviously, is leading others to actually get the full details on a story which you've been doing for a while now," Lacey explained while climbing onto the top bunk and wriggling her butt around to find a comfortable position which was hard with her tail getting in the way before the former huntress candidate decided to wrap it around her waist.

"Oh, so you're saying I'm old?" Lisa remarked while crossing her arms over her chest causing Lacey to blush heavily and frantically wave her hands which made Wilma put her hands over her mouth and laugh softly.

"N-no! I mean, you're older than us, b-but I'm not saying you're wrinkly, grandma old! Y-you're only like in your 30s s-so that's still young!" Lacey stuttered with a nervous smile on her face causing Lisa to cross her arms over her chest causing Wilma to stifle another laugh.

"Kind of digging yourself into a hole, Lacey," Wilma pointed out causing Lacey's brow to twitch as she grabbed her pillow and give her friend an irritable smile which made the reindeer faunus nervously raise a brow.

"You shush!" Lacey exclaimed while thwacking her friend over the head with her pillow causing Wilma to yelp and rub her cranium as Lisa continued to stare at the young girl before putting her hand on her hip.

"Relax, Lacey. I'm just joking," Lisa lightheartedly pointed out causing the former huntress candidate to widen her eyes before releasing a relieved breathe as Wilma massaged the top of her head one last time before laying down.

"Okay, you got me. I hope you realize that normally, I'm not this flustered around people and I haven't known you long enough to know whether you're joking or not," Lacey huffed indignantly while folding her arms with a light blush on her face causing Wilma to giggle which made huntress candidate irritably glower at the stout faunus who happily waved back at her.

"Fair enough," Lisa responded with a slight chuckle before everyone heard someone knock at their door causing the reporter to sigh softly while Wilma curiously awaited to see whoever was at the door while Lacey fluffed her pillow before resting her head on it.

"It's probably Tai so please try to understand if she's a little...uneasy around you two," Lisa requested causing Lacey to give a thumbs up in response while Wilma nodded and tightly hugged her pillow close to her chest as the reporter walked over to the door and grasped the door knob.

"Hello, Tai, please come in," Lisa politely greeted her roommate causing the tin man to tiredly yawn as she walked into the room which made Wilma unconsciously hold her pillow up to her nose to obscure her face.

"Thanks, mind if I take the bottom bunk?" Tai asked while running a hand over her face causing Lisa to shake her head which made the tin man set her duffel bag on the floor next to her bed before stretching her stiff body.

"I have to say, this isn't something I expected, but I don't mind the change in scenery save for two things," the tin man stated as she rolled her neck before suspiciously glancing at Wilma and Lacey with the reindeer faunus averting her gaze downward while Lacey held two fingers up in the peace sign.

"Tai, they're not with the White Fang anymore and it's because of them that we have knowledge on the inner workings of the White Fang and highly likely bases of theirs around Remnant. In fact, they along with their friends are going to help us on the recon mission," Lisa calmly pointed out while crossing an arm over her chest causing the tin man to scoff and continue to warily gaze at the former White Fang soldiers.

"I know, my CO told me as much, but it doesn't change the fact that some of my friends are either lying in graves or in the medical ward because of them," Tai barked causing Wilma to wince and tighten her grip on her pillow while Lacey sighed heavily before sitting up on her bed causing the tin man to narrow her eyes at the girl.

"Nothing we say will make up for the things we did to you or anyone else, but we're trying to walk a better path so all we ask is that you give us a chance," Lacey solemnly stated while never taking her eyes off of the soldier who grumbled and folded her arms before glancing at Wilma who determinedly met the older woman's gaze.

For a moment, Wilma and Tai gazed at one another with the former White Fang thug's earnest brown eyes meeting the tin man's chilling blue eyes before Tai huffed and put her hands on her hips.

"I can't say I trust either of you yet, but considering the lengths and risks you went to protect the people in Vale, I'll keep an open mind," Tai hesitantly conceded causing Wilma to nod slowly while Lacey yawned loudly with her tail unconsciously perking up before shooting the tin man an ever so slight grin causing Tai to raise a brow.

"I guess that's the best we can ask for at the moment; welcome to Team LLWT, rookie," Lacey playfully greeted Tai as Wilma, feeling that it was safe, shyly waved at the soldier with a warm smile on her face.

Despite trying to fight the feeling, Tai couldn't help but let a smile worm its way onto her face as well. However, neither of them noticed the short woman with black hair tied into pig tails discreetly take a picture of the inside of their room while hiding amongst the foliage of the tree. Her job done, the woman leaped down and gracefully landed on her feet without a sound where she looked over the picture which provided more than enough info on the interior of the room. Smirking which briefly caused her green eyes to turn pink and brown, the woman waltzed back to her room while forwarding the picture to her boss and then to Cinder.

* * *

" _Ashanti, Ashanti."_

The voice, the familiar and compassionate voice that the zebra faunus had not heard in so long, was seemingly whispering right in her ear. In spite of her body telling her it was time to wake up, Ashanti tried to stay asleep longer if only just to have a one sided interaction with her mother.

" _It's time to get up, my little warrior. Your friends need you."_

She was sure Wilma would take good care of Lacey and vice versa, but she wasn't so sure the same could apply to her and Gates. Groaning, Ashanti's eyes slowly fluttered open and the first thing she saw was that she was lying in a bedroll that she and Gates had brought from their base and that she was covered in a plethora of bandages that made her think she was a mummy. Pushing the blanket off of her, Ashanti weakly rolled onto her side with a pained hiss and put a hand on the floor where she managed to push herself up onto her knees with herculean effort. Grimacing and biting her lip when her her thigh and shoulder flared up in searing hot, unbearable pain, the burly faunus attempted to get up only for her body to remain rooted to the spot.

"Need some help?" a calm, familiar voice asked while extending his hand toward her causing the zebra faunus to chuckle warmly as she grasped the offered hand and pulled herself up with her friend's help.

Releasing a pained hiss when she got onto her feet, Ashanti immediately pulled Gates in for a tight, affectionate hug with tears running down her face in spite of the fact that she felt as if she were being pierced by thousands of tiny needles. Jolting, Gates briefly stood still before returning the hug as Ashanti reluctantly broke off the hold where she wiped her tears away with her forearm and let her arms dangle at her side.

"I-I thought you..." Ashanti trailed off causing Gates to slowly nod and despite wincing, put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Same here, but luckily the person we heard attacking the Grimm saved us and brought us here," Gates responded while putting Ashanti's less injured arm around his neck and helping her walk over to a nearby couch with both of them grimacing with each step they took.

"So, who did save us? Was it a huntsman or people from the Valean Militia?" Ashanti curiously asked as Gates helped her sit down causing the girl to put a hand on her wounded thigh which made her wince.

"No, but good guess. I guess you can call them people who've lived on the fringes of the Four Kingdoms their whole lives so when they figured out that someone had the brilliant idea to blow a gigantic hole into the heart of Vale, they settled down here for the time being to try to stop it," Gates explained while gritting his teeth when he felt as if someone was pulling his ribs in the opposite direction causing Ashanti to slowly nod and lean back on the couch.

"So, where are they now? I want to thank them for taking care of us," Ashanti inquired causing Gates to wordlessly take out a worn out pencil and a faded notepad from his pocket and place them onto his friend's lap.

"The guy who saved us is on a scouting mission right now; he mentioned something about wanting to find the fastest route to Vale while his friend is grabbing food for us. In the mean time, I've writen a letter to Wilma and Lacey informing them of our situation so feel free to add anything to it," Gates explained as Ashanti slowly read over the contents of the letter with a blank look on her face before her brow scrunched as she suddenly glared at her friend with her teeth barred causing Gates to raise a brow.

"Excuse my language, but why did you put I have bad aim and that it contributed to our current situation, you jackass!?" Ashanti growled while shoving the letter close to his face and pointing at the particular section that irked her causing Gates to chuckle and hold his hands up.

"Ash, I'm not trying to be mean by writing it down. It's just that I want the letter to describe the events leading up to this point to be as accurate as possible and let's be honest, if you had managed to shoot some of the Grimm while we were running around in the hallway, it really would have helped us," Gates pointed out causing Ashanti's brow to twitch and her fingers to curl before she let out a huff and proceeded to jot some things down on the letter as her friend tentatively put a hand on her shoulder causing her to brush it off.

"I'm not talking to you, you jerk," Ashanti barked causing Gates to softly sigh and rub the back of his head as the burly faunus finished writing her thoughts down and handed Gates the letter while avoiding eye contact with him.

"Ash, if it makes you feel any better, I talked shit about myself too," Gates informed Ashanti causing the zebra faunus to grumble and glance at him as he pointed at the specific section of the letter he mentioned.

Wordlessly grasping the notepad, Ashanti read over the section of the letter and at first, her expression was blank, but she suddenly laughed under her breathe as Gates mindlessly thumped the pencil against his leg.

"Ah, don't blame yourself for not being strong enough to fight off the Beowolves. They were on a whole other level," Ashanti assured her friend causing Gates to release a heavy breathe and nod as this time, the burly faunus put a hand on her friend's shoulder making the young man glance at Ashanti and nod with a grin on his face.

"Thanks," Gates remarked while playfully shoving Ashanti's arm causing her to wince, but laugh nonetheless before they both heard slow, thunderous footsteps that made the floor shake slightly approaching them causing the burly faunus to jolt.

"Our rescuer's friend is back; when you meet her, just...try to be cool," Gates informed his friend causing Ashanti to raise a brow and glance at the open doorway their caretaker was coming from curiously.

Suddenly, her eyes widened and her blood went as cold as ice when she saw the shadow of not a woman in the doorway, but what seemed to be a demonic mix of a man and lioness mashed together enter the room. Seeing the creature of Grimm, a Menhitte and an elder one to boot calmly standing in the door way, Ashanti did the only logical thing her brain told her to do. Letting out a blood curtling scream, Ashanti sprang to her feet and grabbed Gates's arm where she attempted to run as fast as her legs could carry her while dragging her friend behind her, but only managed to hobble forward a few steps before the pain in her thigh caused her to collapse onto the cold, unforgiving ground. Even with her shoulder and thigh seemingly screaming at her to stop, she desperately tried to get back onto her feet before Gates grasped her shoulder and held her in place while all Ashanti could do was stare at him incredulously while releasing frantic, terrified sputters of breathe.

"Ash, I know! I freaked out too when I woke up, but she and her friend took care of us while we were out of it," Gates calmly told his friend while staring directly into her eyes which made the zebra faunus quickly look between him and the Elder Grimm who began to slowly walk toward them causing Ashanti to tightly grasp Gates's arm.

"It's okay, it's alright. She's not going to hurt us," Gates assured Ashanti who could only let out hitched, strangled breathes as the Menhitte stopped a few feet away from them and set the water bottles, chocolate bars, packets of hard candy, bags of dried fruit, bags of tortilla chips, and bags of popcorn down on the floor.

Stepping back with its hands raised up in the air, Gates thanked the Elder Grimm and grabbed the snacks on the floor while Ashanti continued to stare at the demon before she felt her friend put some of the snacks in her lap. Gazing at Gates as if he had gone mad, Ashanti reluctantly grasped one of the chocolate bars and meticulously sniffed it for any signs of tampering before she felt a hand on her shoulder causing her to glance at Gates who was leisurely munching on a chocolate bar.

"Eat something, okay? I know you're hungry," Gates coolly told the zebra faunus who was about to open her mouth to protest, but her stomach loudly growling caused her to hesitantly unwrap one of the chocolate bars where she experimentally nibbled on one of the edges.

Finding nothing wrong with the treat, Ashanti took another bite of the chocolate bar and made herself comfortable as Gates grabbed the notepad and read the letter over while wondering if he should add anything else to it. While Ashanti and Gates ate their lunch for today, the Menhitte took that as her cue to walk over to a separate part of the room where she laid down on all fours and monitored the abandoned streets of Mountain Glenn like a hawk.

"...Thank you," Ashanti told the Elder Grimm in a tone barely above a whisper after finishing her chocolate bar causing the demonic lioness to turn its head and blankly gaze at the zebra faunus with its faded, crimson eyes that made Ashanti unconsciously shudder.

Grumbling, the demon gave a simple nod in response before refocusing on the abandoned city as Ashanti opened a bag of dried fruit and downed a few of them in one go before glancing at Gates who raised a brow as he sucked on a piece of hard candy.

"H-how long have you known your friend over there?" Ashanti whispered while savoring the taste of her snack causing Gates to put a hand on his chin before shrugging.

"About 4 days I think," Gates replied while scratching his head causing Ashanti to nearly drop her bag of dried fruit onto the floor before regaining her bearings and leaning close to Gates's face.

"4 days!? How long have I been out?" Ashanti blurted out causing the Menhitte to rest her chin on her arms while Gates sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his neck before putting a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Ooh, I'd say about...5 days so you know, not that long relatively speaking," Gates answered causing Ashanti to incredulously stare at her friend before letting out a frustrated groan and balling her hands into fists.

"I've been unconscious for five days and Wilma and Lacey are Brother Gods know where and you say that's not long!?" Ashanti screeched as she wanted to bash her fist into the wall, but refrained from doing so as Gates put a hand on her shoulder causing the girl to pout.

"I said relatively speaking and besides, if Wilma and Lacey had been going to where they thought we were, our friend's friend would have picked up on their scent and gone after them to bring them here," Gates responded with a shrug causing Ashanti's lip to quiver before she scoffed and wolfed down some more pieces of dried fruit before clearing her throat.

"What happened when you woke up?" the burly faunus inquired causing Gates to grumble and slowly rub the back of his neck while Ashanti saw the demonic lioness give what she thought was a smile, but she couldn't be sure.

"I saw the Menhitte and the Alpha Beowolf switching out your bandages, but to me it looked like they were going to eat you so when I couldn't find a weapon I...tried to strangle the Alpha Beowolf to death," Gates explained while averting his gaze from Ashanti who widened her eyes before chuckling under her breathe as she popped some more pieces of dried fruit in her mouth.

"And then?" Ashanti pressed causing Gates to open a bag of tortilla chips and wolf some of them down before taking a swig of water.

"He kind of just stared at me for a few seconds before poking me in the eye so then I punched our friend there across the face, but all she did was look at me before wandering off and giving me food," Gates elaborated causing Ashanti to raise a brow with a bemused grin as she scrafed down the last of her dried fruit and opened a bag of popcorn where she placed some of the kernels in her mouth.

"I'm not saying this isn't cool, after all, not many people run into friendly Grimm, but why are they helping us?" Ashanti asked as she consumed more pieces of popcorn causing her to see what she thought was the Menhitte rolling its eyes while swishing its whip like tail back and forth as Gates shrugged his shoulders.

"Beats me, but we wouldn't be alive because of them," Gates responded as he read over the letter one last time before ripping it from the notepad and standing up with a wince causing the demonic lioness to walk over to him on all fours.

Tactfully stopping a few feet away from the duo, the Menhitte extended her hand to the young man who handed the letter to her causing the lioness to rip a short, pointy spike from its elbow which made spray of thick, black blood to burst from the torn piece of flesh. Gagging, Ashanti put a hand over her mouth and just managed to contain the food she had eaten as the monstrous lioness poked a hole in the bottom of the spike and gently placed the letter into it where she let a little droplet of black blood plop down on the opening. Ashanti pursed her lips and nodded as the blood hardened and sealed the opening, but her jaw dropped when the Menhitte raised the spike up to her mouth and _swallowed_ itas if it were a delectable morsel of food.

"I'm...I'm just going to look away and eat my food," Ashanti mumbled as she unwrapped a chocolate bar and chomped on it, but just as she said this the Menhitte gnashed its teeth causing a thick, milky white spike to burst out of the torn flesh on its elbow which made Ashanti shudder.

"That's probably for the best; our friend here can't leave until the Alpha Beowolf gets back and reports on an alternate route to Vale," Gates explained as he opened a pack of dried fruit and shoved some of the treats down his throat while the Menhitte once again went to her corner of the room and laid down.

"Why didn't you tell them about the path Lacey found?" Ashanti inquired as she wolfed down the last bits of her chocolate bar before popping a few pieces of popcorn into her mouth causing Gates to turn towards her which made him wince when his injuries acted up.

"I did, but the Alpha Beowolf said that the area is crawling with Valean Militiamen and Grimm," Gates replied causing Ashanti to curse under her breathe and grimace when her shoulder acted up causing her to lightly grasp her wound before finishing her popcorn.

"Thanks a lot for hacking our communications, Adam," Ashanti snarled while tightly clenching her fists causing Gates to sigh softly and put a hand on her shoulder causing the burly faunus to gaze at her friend.

"I'm not happy about it either, but we're not in any condition to be going anywhere so we're going to have to trust our new friends," Gates responded causing the burly faunus to grumble, but nevertheless nod as she opened a bag of dried fruit and was about to put one her mouth before glancing at the Menhitte.

Releasing a breathe, Ashanti climbed to her feet and grimaced before hobbling over to the Elder Grimm who raised a brow and blankly gazed at the burly faunus who stopped a few feet away from the monstrous lioness. Standing still for a moment, Ashanti took a baby step forward before retracting her foot which made her grit her teeth and suck in a breathe as she limped closer to the Menhitte and sat down next to it. Leaning against the Menhitte who didn't mind this in the slightest, the burly faunus dumped a few pieces of dried fruit into her hand and extended the appendage to the Elder Grimm who stared at the girl's hand with a wooden gaze before grasping the treats and popping them into her mouth with a guttral growl.

True, Grimm had no need to eat considering their sustenance was the negative emotions humans, faunus, and even animals emit, but the gesture was appreciated nonetheless as the Menhitte chewed the dried fruit into little pieces and swallowed them in one go. Grinning slightly, Ashanti scooted closer to the Elder Grimm and made herself comfortable as she too looked down at the destroyed city while silently eating her food.

* * *

"...A?" Jin uncertainly stated while covering her good eye causing the doctor to shake his head before pointing at another letter on the piece of paper causing the observer to lean forward and squint before scratching the back of her head.

"...V?" Jin confusedly commented causing the doctor to grumble, but said nothing as he pointed at another letter on the paper causing Jin to focus on the letter long and hard before dejectedly shrugging.

"...J?" the observer hesitantly answered causing the doctor to shake his head which made Jin curse under her breathe as the doctor pointed to one last letter on the paper causing the observer to run a hand through her hair.

"I know this is wrong, but to me it looks like a tiny fish swimming around and a bigger fish is coming up from behind in order to eat it," Jin gruffly answered while taking her hand off of her good eye causing the doctor to raise a brow as he wrote something on his clipboard before gazing at the observer.

"The bad news is that you scored 10/20 and the bittersweet news is that you miraculously still have sight in that eye despite the damage it suffered. How exactly did you acquire that wound?" the doctor inquired causing Jin to freeze up and look down at her feet before slowly gazing at the medical practitioner.

"...We were attacked by Grimm and a Beowolf knocked my weapon out of my hands so I was forced to use one of the spare rifles lying around on the airship. I don't know the specifics of the inner workings of a gun, but something caused the dust chamber to jam so when I pulled the trigger..." Jin trailed off while pointing at her charred eye causing the doctor to stare at her blankly which made the observer want nothing more than to sink into a puddle, but she maintained her gaze on him.

"Hmm...alright, I'll go talk to engineering and inform them of this malfunction. In the mean time, I suggest you get some rest and clean your wound with warm, not hot water," the doctor ordered causing Jin to nod as the medical practitioner extended a jar of candy to her which made Jin laugh as she grabbed a sweet out of the jar and thanked the man.

Nodding, the doctor walked away leaving Jin alone where she laid down on her bed and began to think about her situation before she heard slow, menacing footsteps approaching her causing her to snarl. Turning on her side, the observer ferociously glared at Adam like a cornered animal while the Crimson Scourge continued to walk toward her as if he were a predator moving in for the kill.

"Great, now there's two accounts of what happened to you during out meeting with the benefactor," Adam snarled causing Jin to jump off her bed and land on her feet where her injury caused her entire body to flare up in pain making her grimace, but she managed to force the pain down and remain upright.

"How was I suppose to know you lied to everyone about what happened to me when I was unconscious for the last few days!?" Jin nearly yelled at the Crimson Scourge, but managed to keep her voice on the down low which made Adam depress the trigger on Blush causing Wilt to slam hilt first into Jin's nose making the observer gnash her teeth and stagger back.

"Don't ever make me hit you again; while you were being lazy, I tried reporting on the status of our base to Sienna, but she didn't trust anything I said and told me she would only accept a report from you. Along with that, she's having her doubts on the value of our base so you're going to convince her otherwise," Adam gruffly demanded while sheathing Wilt as Jin wiped some of the blood from her nose away with her forearm before grabbing some tissues from a tissue box and applying them to her nostrils.

"I'm already going to lie to High Leader Khan by saying everything's ship shape, I'm not going to try and debate the value of your base when it's flaws are apparent. For starters, you're risking the bulk of the Vale branch being either eliminated by the Grimm in the outskitrs, within the city itself, or trapped in the tunnels and there's the risk that you'll be discovered by the Valean Militia. Should the latter happen, you're going to bring them, the huntsman, and the Atlesian military down on us so yeah, I understand why High Leader Khan has her doubts," Jin defiantly retorted making the seams of the folk hero's coat glow crimson red making the observer jolt and tense her muscles up before Adam just grunted and softened his grip on Wilt.

Grabbing his walkie talkie from his belt, the folk hero held the device up to his lips and depressed the button while Jin suspiciously watched him and replaced her bloody tissue with a fresh one.

"Adolf, do we have any Elite White Fang soldiers or White Fang commandos that aren't on duty right now?" Adam inquired causing Jin to narrow her eyes and tightly clench the railing of her bed before relaxing her grip as they both heard nothing but static before Adam's trusted right hand man spoke into the device.

"Let me check...hmm...it looks like Ebony and Deshret are free," Adolf responded causing the Crimson Scourge to slump his shoulders and pinch the bridge of his nose before pressing the button on the device again making Jin raise a brow.

"Do we have...literally anyone else?" Adam inquired with an irritated groan causing Adolf to go silent on the other line for a moment before speaking into his walkie talkie.

"Sorry, no. Ebony killed most of the Elite White Fang soldiers stationed here and the ones who're alive aren't as experienced as her while Deshret is the only other commando besides me with enough discipline to not accidentally kill Jin for a perceived slight," Adolf responded causing the Crimson Scourge to gnash his teeth and to the observer, it looked like he was about to take Wilt out and slash a nearby bed in two, but simply changed the frequency on his walkie talkie.

"Ebony, your new mission is to safeguard our guest, Jin, and make she does what the benefactor wants until she returns to Sienna," Adam gruffly ordered and at first, neither Adam or the observer heard anything, but soon they heard a long, heavy sigh that made Jin raise a brow.

"Really? It's bad enough I'm shooting people to satisfy your rage-boner that will never go away, but now I'm a warden to someone who's suppose to be our ally?" Ebony replied irritably with a click in her voice causing the icon to grasp Wilt so tightly that the observer thought he was going to break his fingers.

"Don't think, obey. Now get to the medical wing," Adam retorted sharply, but instead of getting a compliant affirmative like Jin expected, she heard another long groan that went on for a few seconds before the soldier responded.

"Alright...I'll be there in five minutes," Ebony replied grumpily with another click in her voice making Adam gnash his teeth and to Jin, it looked like he was ready to throw the walkie talkie to the ground and stomp it into a million pieces.

"And why do you think you deserve the luxury to rest when our brothers and sisters are tirelessly working for our noble cause!" Adam roared into the device making Jin wince and rub her animal ears, and even though the observer couldn't see this soldier, she was sure Ebony was rolling her eyes.

"Because they don't know that they're actually working for an abusive, blood-thirsty, short-sighted, hot headed, psycopathic manchild and one of the few ways I can cope with the stress of working for a monster like you is to masturbate which makes me briefly forget that I am a horrible person who's constantly questioning if I'm fighting on the right side or not," a voice suddenly remarked causing Jin to jolt and jump back defensively while Adam glowered at the newcomer who lazily leaned against the wall with a hand on her hip.

Glancing at the newcomer, Jin was taken aback by the fact that this girl she was assuming to be Ebony wore the standard issue uniform of the White Fang soliders, but had a faded, green scraf that stretched toward one shoulder and a red and white metallic backpack on her back that didn't seem to weigh her down at all. What was most striking to the observer was the pair of long, sharp looking mandibles on either side of her lip that one would expect to find on some sort of insect making Jin assume that it was the source of clicking from before.

"Jin, Ebony. Ebony Jin," Adam snapped causing the Elite White Fang soldier to politely wave at Jin who returned the gesture before they all heard suddenly heard footsteps approaching them from behind causing Jin to turn her head.

What Jin saw was a tall, solidly built, dark skinned young woman wearing two heavy, metallic gauntlets that covered her entire arm up to the shoulder where it looked like she was wearing gridiron shoulder pads with nasty, sharp looking spikes jutting out of them. The "gauntlets" in question were actually just two pointy, reddish-black legs ripped directly from a Spider Tank and what was even worse was that the young woman Jin was assuming to be Deshret was wearing a metallic mask that one would expect to find on prisoners that bit other people on the lower part of her face.

"Hiya!" the young woman jovially exclaimed while happily waving her gauntlet at Adam, Jin, and Jade causing the Crimson Scourge to not acknowledge the gesture in the slightest, Jade to politely nod, and Jin to wave back as the woman placed her gauntlets on her hips.

"Jin, Ebony, this is Deshret. Deshret, Jin and Ebony. Since Adolf already told you you're new assignment, escort Jin to her room and make sure she tells Sienna what happened. If she refuses, hit her; if she refuses again, break her arm. Just don't kill her," Adam snarled before walking away causing Jin to frantically look at Ebony, Adam, and Deshret who merrily waved at her before the observer stepped forward.

"Adam, where are you holding Commander Vickers? I want to see him," Jin shouted causing Adam to say nothing as he continued to walk away causing the observer to gnash her teeth and before she even knew what she was doing, roughly grabbed the icon's shoulder and twisted him around so he would face her.

"I said where-"

Jin started, but didn't get to finish as the Crimson Scourge brutally smacked her across the face with the back of his fist causing Jin to yelp as a spray of blood to fly out of her mouth and onto the floor causing Jade to glower at Adam. Sneering, Jin stubbornly beckoned him to hit her again with a wave of her hand and just at it looked like he was about to do so, Deshret calmly extended one of her gauntlets in between them.

"What could go wrong?" Deshret commented causing Adam to glance at Jin where he saw Ebony hand a trash can to the observer who nodded gratefully and spat a glob of blood into the waste disposal unit making the Crimson Scourge snort.

"No, now get her out of my face and make sure she gets that report to Sienna done," Adam barked causing Deshret to sigh softly, but nod as she gently tapped Jin's shoulder and gestured with her head causing the observer to glower at Adam one last time before following her wardens to her room.


	19. Chapter 19 Carnage

Ch.19

Carnage

 _RWBY is the property of its respective owners, Ocs belong to me_

"Hghyaah!" Ashanti grunted as she brought her right forearm as if it was a shield where it blocked a powerful, but restrained sledgehammer blow from the Menhitte which made the girl's arm tingle and forced her to shift her footing to keep herself in place.

Gnashing her teeth, Ashanti pushed forward on her back foot which made the Menhitte stumble back causing the girl to take advantage of this and threw a hard punch with her left hand as if it was a deadly spear. The Menhitte made no outward reaction as Ashanti's fist crashed into her chest, but did perk her ears up when the Ashanti grasped her wrist while she was stumbling backwards. Smirking, Ashanti tugged the Menhitte toward her which made the Elder Grimm stagger forward like a drunkard as the girl twisted her hips and threw a solid, heavy kick at the Menhitte's head with all her weight behind it.

Giving a smirk of her own, the Menhitte waited until Ashanti's foot was just about to connect with her skull before ducking underneath the powerful kick with ease causing Ashanti to yelp as she uncontrollably flopped to the side like a ragdoll. While she was off balance, the Menhitte grasped Ashanti's wrist and yanked it causing the girl to squeal as she was flipped under and over before landing on her back with a loud thud which made Ashanti groan as she turned on her side while putting a hand on her back.

"Ugh, ow. What happened?" Ashanti asked dizzily as the Menhitte grabbed her arm and helped her to her feet as Gates approached the duo while rubbing the back of his head.

"You...kicked your own ass," Gates answered causing Ashanti to glance at him with narrowed eyes causing her friend to smile and shrug as the Menhitte made a guttural sound from her throat which caused her two charges to focus their attention on her.

" _Do you know why you lost?"_ the Menhitte questioned Ashanti who grumbled and stared down at the ground as if it would contain the answer to the question before the girl looked up at the creature of Grimm.

"You're a better fighter than me so there's not much I could have done," Ashanti answered gruffly causing the Elder Grimm to say nothing while Gates shook his head as the Menhitte folded her arms and fixed the girl with a calm, but stern gaze.

" _The reason why you lost is because you put too much power behind every blow you throw which leaves you off balance and easy to counter. You need to learn to throw power strikes only when you're absolutely sure they're going to land,"_ the Elder Grimm advised her young charge causing Ashanti to pout and purse her lips, but nonetheless gratefully nodded.

"Yeah, I'll work on that. Thank you," Ashanti replied causing the Elder Grimm to nod back as she glanced at Gates who sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his head before stepping into the impromptu sparring circle.

"Alright, let's get this over with," Gates grumbled as he took a fighting stance which the Menhitte saw was similar to the one the metallic warriors of the North used, but noted that unlike them, he left elbows extended outward leaving his sides exposed.

Waiting until Ashanti moved out of the sparring circle, the Menhitte let her arms dangle at her sides as she observed Gates who slowly inched forward while keeping his fists up to guard his face all while the creature of Grimm continued to stare at him blankly without moving from her spot. When Gates was toe to toe with her, the Menhitte still didn't take a defensive posture as Gates threw a quick, stiff jab at the Menhitte's midsection which she took without so much as a wince. Undeterred, Gates lowered his shoulder and rammed into the Elder Grimm's gut which made the Menhitte grunt, but didn't make her budge from her spot in the slightest.

Growling, Gates wrapped his arms around the Elder Grimm's waist before kneeing her in between her legs as hard as he could which made the monstrous lioness raise a brow as Gates proceeded to pound her ribs with a barrage of punches. Again and again Gates's fists struck the Menhitte's side like a piston, but the Elder Grimm simply licked her lips and snout before clapping her giant hands against Gates's ears.

Yelping, Gates groggily stumbled back while clutching his ringing ears as he struggled to stay on his feet as the Menhitte suddenly swiped at his head with a stiff, but restrained swing of her hand. Widening his eyes, Gates quickly covered his head with his forearm while placing his hand behind his head as if he was brushing his hair back causing his forearm to absorb most of the damage behind the strike which made him to uncontrollably stagger to the side. Pursing her lips, the Menhitte thrust her knee towards Gate's ribs while he was off balance which made the young man bring an elbow down and reinforce with his hand to block the strike.

Hissing as the knee strike made him briefly loose feeling in his arm and sent him flying back, Gates maintained enough presence of mind to flow with the momentum and roll to his feet which made the Menhitte nod in approval while remaining rooted to the spot. Sucking down a breathe and rolling his shoulder, Gates cautiously approached the Elder Grimm where he feinted with a right only to bring his foot up and kicked it towards the Menhitte's gut. Stoically watching as the attack approached her, the Elder Grimm shifted to the side as Gate's foot passed mere inches from her snout where she lightly chomped down on his calf making the young man yowl. Tugging his leg aside, Gates yelped as he felt the ground underneath him before he landed on his belly making him groan as he turned on his back and exhaled as Ashanti looked down at him with her head cocked to the side.

"So, what was that about kicking your own ass?" Ashanti questioned Gates with a wide, big grin making him roll his eyes as the Menhitte grasped one of his arms while Ashanti grabbed the other as they helped their friend to his feet.

" _Do you know why you lost?"_ the Menhitte asked the young man while folding her arms causing Gates to gaze at her with his head tilted before he sighed softly and put a hand on his hip.

"I think it's because I don't have enough power behind my blows, right?" Gates replied causing the Elder Grimm to nod while making a low, guttural sound from her throat.

" _Yes, while you did take advantage of openings that presented themselves, your strikes lacked the necessary force to cause any harm to me. You can only hit so hard using only your arms and shoulders alone which is why you should use your hips to generate more power,"_ the Menhitte suggested causing Gates to nod before they all saw the faint light of the White Fang patrol's flashlights in the distance causing the trio to sprawl to the ground behind the couch.

" _Stay here, but be ready to fight if needed,"_ the Elder Grimm ordered her charges causing Ashanti and Gates to nod as they quietly crept over to their rifles leaning against the wall before subtly walking over to the railing and aiming their rifles at the front door.

Creeping over to the barricaded door which lead to the stairwell, the Elder Grimm moved the barricades aside with Gates setting them back up behind her as she sprinted up the stairs and reached the roof of the building. Leaping down and landing on the ground without a sound, the monstrous lioness crouched down and approached the wall where she crept along it before stopping near the corner where she subtly peeked around it to see what the raid party was doing.

"C'mon, you stupid, god damn thing! Tell me again why we're busting our asses in the dead of night?" one of the goons inquired with a hint of venom in his tone as he along with another member of his group unsuccessfully attempted to pry the door open causing the demonic lioness to grunt, but took no action.

"You baby teeth never listen to the briefings; the soldiers who supposedly let Sergeant Vickers die and didn't kill any of the tin men in the outpost raid are somewhere in this area so we have to find them," the Elder Grimm heard the leader of the raid party retort gruffly as the thug attempting to force the door open took a few step backs and sprinted at the door with his shoulder lowered causing the entry point to bend inward slightly, but other than that was undamaged.

"Supposedly? You don't believe they did those things?" another member of the raid party asked while rearing his foot back and kicking the door as hard he could, but the entry point didn't even have a scratch on it.

"I can't say, but the evidence doesn't add up. I managed to sneak a peek at Vickers's corpse before they removed it and I saw a boot print on his skull. If Xiao Long and Branwen did kill him, I would have expected to see scythe cuts or punch marks, not boot prints, so someone's not telling the truth about his death," the leader of the patrol responded causing the Menhitte to grumble and purse her lips as she ducked back into cover to consider what course of action she should take.

"Alright, so someone might by lying, it doesn't excuse them putting our guys at risk by sparing some damn humans at the outpost," the soldier struggling with the door seethed as he tried to use the butt of his rifle as a crowbar to pry the door open, but the entry point wasn't budging in the slightest as the Elder Grimm jumped into the air and planted her claws into the wall quietly.

"I agree, but I wish some of my guys could show some of the levels of restraint they did more often," the leader replied tartly causing the Menhitte to give what would be considered a chuckle as she slowly began moving to the side and just as she was leap down onto one of the goons, one the soldiers whom the Elder Grimm saw was a rookie stepped up.

"Maybe...there's an entrance around the back?" the greenhorn soldier stated causing the Elder Grimm to move to the backside of the building before just hanging there as she waited for her targets to get within range.

"Good idea; you two go around back and see if there's another way we can get in while we'll try to muscle the front door open," the leader of the raid party ordered as the Menhitte tensed her muscles causing black smoke to waft from her body which allowed her to examine the negative emotions of the goons.

Her conclusion? The leader and the two soldiers trying to find an alternate means of entry didn't deserve to die, but the one trying to pry the door open? He had too much negative emotions, felt too much like one of her kind, so he had to go. Glancing down, the Menhitte saw the two goons ignorantly pass by her without looking up which made the monstrous lioness give her version of a grin as the duo found what they were looking for.

"Hey, would you look at that? There is a backdoor!" one of the thugs shouted as he jogged down the stairs and examined the door while the inexperienced soldier sighed in relief as she watched her cohort closely.

"Someone's definitely here; these barricades aren't rotted so they must have been put up recently," the soldier informed the rookie which made his comrade nod eagerly and grasped at the metallic device on her belt which her mongrel comrade called a scroll even though it contained no paper.

"A-alright, I'll go tell the chief," the greenhorn beast man replied as she extended it to its full length and furiously fiddled around with it for reasons the Elder Grimm could roughly understand as the rookie's comrade rolled his eyes before refocusing on his task.

Seeing one of her targets distracted, the Menhitte dropped down behind the greenhorn soldier and clamped a hand over her mouth and then tightly wrapping her other arm around the girl's neck just as the rookie found the correct channel her comrades were using to communicate. Instead of compressing the girl's neck, the Elder Grimm instead applied pressure on the veins around the girl's neck which completely cut off the blood flow to her brain. The girl twitched and erratically flailed her legs before going limp in a matter of seconds causing the Menhitte to ease up on the pressure while catching the rifle and scroll with her tail before they could hit the ground and alert her other target.

Gently setting the girl on the ground, the Menhitte advanced on her other unaware quarry just as he managed to get through one of the barricades and before he could celebrate his victory, the Menhitte clasped a hand over his mouth while wrapping her other arm around his neck. Rearing her head back, she smashed her forehead onto the back of his skull eliciting a muffled howl from him before he went limp. Snorting, the Menhitte placed him on his belly before she saw the faint shine of a flashlight out of the corner of her eye which made her growl lowly as she jumped into the air and stabbed her claws into the wall as another member of the patrol rounded the corner.

"Hey, boss wanted me to check up on you idiots and-holy shit!" the goon the Menhitte marked for death shouted when he saw the unconscious bodies of his comrades lying on the ground as he violently retched when the Elder Grimm landed on top of him with the force of a meteor which broke some of his ribs.

Hacking up a glob of blood, the goon futilely wriggled underneath the Menhitte who stomped down on his wrist while pinning his elbow with her knee making the thug hiss and hurl a storm of curses at the lioness which she ignored. Tightly clamping a hand around his mouth, she ignited the black smoke around her body once more now that the goon was within her grasp meaning she could get a more accurate understanding of him. Widening her eyes when she saw that this particular soldier had not only told Lacey's pride that he would use extreme violence against the Snow Born if given the chance, but also proudly admitted that he slaughtered young humans and beast men alike in the snowy tundra of the North. Glowering at her pinned prey with a gaze that could kill many times over, the Menhitte resisted the great, overwhelming urge to cut him from ear to ear like what he threatened to do the Snow Born and instead reared her hand back with her razor sharp claws brandished.

Releasing a muffled, blood curdling scream, all the goon could do was uselessly flail about like a fish out of water before the Menhitte skewered her claws through his skull with a wet squelch as his aura put up no resistance. Standing up, the Elder Grimm wiped her quarry's blood from her claws and saw the glow of another flashlight rapidly approaching her position causing the Menhitte to roll her eyes as this time, she made no effort to hide.

"What's going on? Are you alright?" the leader called out to his cohort while jogging around the back of the building as the Elder Grimm to conjure five pointy, razor sharp bones in between her fingers that took the shape of knives.

As the soldier rounded the corner, all he could do was recoil in shock when he saw the creature of Grimm standing over his comrades before the Menhitte flung the barbs at the leader far faster than he could perceive. Howling in pain, the leader dropped his weapon and crumpled to his knees while clutching his blood soaked arm as his aura caused two of the barbs to bounce off his arm, but didn't stop the other three as they pierced halfway through his arm. Seeing her prey disabled, the Menhitte advanced on him causing the goon to frantically inch his way toward his rifle that was lying on the ground a few feet away from him. Just as he got his hand on the weapon, a flechette embedded itself into the trigger mechanism rendering the gun useless which made the soldier to curse as he turned to face the Elder Grimm with a nervous, defiant gaze. The Elder Grimm just grunted before forcefully smacking the leader's face with the back of her hand causing the thug to yelp as his head snapped to the side before he hit the ground like a sack of potatoes. Snorting, the creature of Grimm hoisted the unconscious leader over her shoulder and then walked over to the other unconscious soldiers where she picked them up and placed them on her shoulder before trudging into the forest.

True, they didn't deserve to die, but returning them to the Beast Tribe was out of the question since they could tell their comrades that they were attacked when they unknowingly came upon her pride's den. With the risk of discovery in mind, the Menhitte decided to leave them in the care of the outlanders, or the Valean Militia as her cohort liked to call them, as they were helping to protect the outskirts of the human den. Reaching the edge of a river, the Menhitte cut a fallen tree into a few chunks before spewing her blood onto the pieces of wood which caused them to stick together like glue which made a raft big enough to accommodate the three Beast Men.

Placing her unconscious quarry onto the raft, the Elder Grimm opened her maw and spat another stream of her blood onto her prey's waists which bound them to the raft causing the Menhitte to pick up the crude vessel and place it in the river. Giving it a soft kick to speed it up, the Elder Grimm watched the raft travel down the river until it went out of sight where she was about to walk back to her den until she felt a powerful, overwhelming sense of negative energy as if it were a tidal wave approaching her.

Narrowing her eyes, the Menhitte reopened the scar on her chest and bit down on her tongue causing copious amounts of pitch black, tar like blood to seep down her chest and mouth like a waterfall. Manipulating the blood so it covered her entire body, the Elder Grimm proceeded to harden the substance which acted as a tough, resolute suit of armor while swallowing any excess blood and proceeded to conjure sharp, bony barbs in the flesh between her fingers. Grasping the projectiles, the Elder Grimm raised her arm up and glared into the darkness, ready to act at a moment's notice, and at first everything was quiet with no sound passing except the chilling wind.

Hearing thunderous footsteps approaching her from the side, the Elder Grimm expertly tossed the projectiles to the side at such speeds her arm appeared to be a blur which caused a sharp cry of pain and a loud thud as a body hit the ground. Glancing to the side, the Menhitte saw the projectiles embedded in the skull, face, and neck of a fellow lioness causing her to grumble before looking back into the darkness where she saw piercing, red eyes staring back at her. Quickly conjuring more barbs in between her fingers, the Elder Grimm heard her kin let out deafening, malicious roars before charging at her which made the ground shake violently.

Keeping calm, the Menhitte flung the flechettes at the oncoming herd with surgeon like precision and overwhelming force where 9 out of 10 of the barbs found their mark embedded in the throats of some Alpha Beowolves and fellow Menhittes who gargled on their own blood before hitting the ground where they lay completely still. The last barb, however, was snatched out of the air and held aloft in between the long, but deceptively strong fingers of a familiar foe. Hearing the slow, booming clops of what seemed to be a horse, the Menhitte glowered darkly as the Nuckelavee and his steed slowly stepped into the moonlight while still clutching the flechette in between his fingers.

" _You and your filthy hybrid pride have interfered with the fire witch's plan long enough,"_ the Nuckelavee eerily stated while crushing the projectile into a dust where he let the white mist flutter into the wind as the Menhitte just snorted.

" _Serving a human? I thought such a thing would be below a being such as yourself,"_ the Menhitte mocked only to widen her eyes as she barely slipped to the side when the demon's extended hand slammed itself down onto the ground like a sledgehammer making the lioness tense her muscles.

" _I'm not serving her, I'm merely facilitating her plans so the glorious massacre of Vale can proceeded unabated,"_ the Nuckelavee snarled back as the hand he smashed on the ground suddenly lunged at the Menhitte and grasped her waist making the monstrous lioness grimace as the Nuckelavee slammed her to the ground and kept her pinned.

Gnashing her teeth, the Elder Grimm freed her arms and viciously twisted the Nuckelavee's fingers in the wrong direction making the demon screech as he unconsciously loosened his grip on the lioness who saw more of her kind recklessly charging toward her. Forming razor sharp barbs in between her fingers, she flung the projectiles at the herd which felled a handful of them, but not enough to stem the tide causing the Menhitte to raise her arms over her head to defend herself...only for the horde to rush past her as if she wasn't even there.

Ignoring this, the Menhitte skillfully weaved underneath a swipe at her head by an old Ursa Major who thought she was off guard while simultaneously wrapping her hands around the necks of two Alpha Beowolves that were lunging at her out of midair. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a Beringel leaping toward her with its fists raised over head and saw a fellow lioness with two pride mates carefully moving toward her. Keeping calm, the Menhitte leaped to the side and kicked the grizzly into the path of the great ape's attack while chucking the demonic wolves at the lioness and her pride at high velocity.

The Ursa Major barely had time to widen his eyes in shock before the great ape brutally slammed his fists down onto him which reduced the bear to a bloody paste while the oldest enemy Menhitte unflinchingly stood her ground as the wolves hurtled past her mere inches away from her body. The two younger felines attempted to dive out of the way, but only one of them was somewhat successful in this endeavor the body of the wolf collided with her ankle and bent in the wrong direction making the young feline wince. The other lioness, however, was a bit too slow as the monstrous wolf pierced through her chest like a knife through hot butter which made the demon shriek as she was violently thrown to the ground where she along with the Beowolf who's skull was reduced to mush began dissolving into black mist.

The Menhitte snarled as the great ape furiously pounded his chest while the enemy Menhitte, her remaining pride mate, and the sole Alpha Beowolf stood next to him with their teeth barred and their muscles tensed while the Nuckelavee watched the spectacle with an eerie grin. Casting a backwards glance at her den, the Menhitte already saw some of members of the horde trying to break into it causing the Elder Grimm to brandish her claws and crouch forward as if she was on the hunt. Surging forward at speeds one wouldn't expect from a creature her size, the Elder Grimm swiped at the younger Menhitte's head, lashed her tail at the Alpha Beowolf like a whip, planted her foot into the enemy Menhitte's chest, and spewed searing hot blood at the Nuckelavee and Beringel.

The Menhitte's attack was somewhat successful as while the younger lioness's head was torn clean off her shoulders, the Alpha Beowolf managed to block her whip like tail at the cost of having some of the flesh on his forearms being flayed off while the enemy Menhitte grimaced as the force of the blow catapulted her before landing on her knees with a grimace. The Beringel and Nuckelavee, however, howled in agony as they brought their arms up to block the substance, but paid for their ignorance with the flesh on their arms and in the Nuckelavee's case, the flesh on his mount's face being burnt right off. Pounding his chest, the Beringel barreled toward the Menhitte who was fiercely grappling with her fellow lioness as the Menhitte tightly grasped her foe's wrist while wrapping an arm around her neck while her enemy firmly grasped her upper back. Thinking she could end this fight quickly, the Menhitte vomited a plume of blood at her enemy at point blank range, but to her surprise the hellish lioness skillfully ducked underneath the stream and sunk her teeth into the Elder Grimm's throat.

Wincing as even though her armor prevented her enemy's teeth from digging into her flesh, the force behind it still hurt which made the Menhitte attempt to move to gain a better position, but the hellish lioness forcefully stomped down on her foot which violently crushed the limb and pinned the Elder Grimm to the spot. Snarling, the Menhitte formed sharp barbs at the end of her tail when she saw the Beringel and Alpha Beowolf surging toward her and with a twist of her hips, sent the flechettes flying at the demonic wolf who screeched in agony as the barbs pierced deep into his kneecaps which made him harshly fall onto his face. However, the brief lapse of focus was all the hellish lioness needed as she firmly snaked her arms around the Menhitte's neck and armpit while wrapping her tail around the Menhitte's wrist. Struggling, the Menhitte found she couldn't free herself as the hellish lioness savagely tore off one of her ears with her teeth making the Menhitte grimace as her foe maneuvered her into a full nelson before she even knew what was going on. Just as the Menhitte regained her bearings, she grimaced as she the strong, heavy hand of the Beringel brutally collided with her face which shattered the bony plating on her face and crushed her nose with a sickening crack.

" _Slowing down, old one?"_ the hellish lioness taunted her counterpart as the Beringel rained down a flurry of savage, unrelenting blows with sent teeth flying out of the Menhitte's mouth with a spray of blood and created brutal dents along the Menhitte's body.

" _You'll see soon enough,"_ the Menhitte retorted as she received another harsh blow from the great ape which made her briefly buckle, but continued to stand her ground as she was ruthlessly pummeled with seemingly no way to escape.

Receiving another hard slug which nearly made her double over, the Menhitte kept her wits and lifted both her legs up where she forcefully planted them against the Beringel's chest which sent him tumbling across the grass like a ball. Seeing an opening, the lioness formed a spike at the end of her tail and stabbed it through the hellish lioness's thigh which made her enemy wail and stagger back which the Menhitte took advantage of and spat a stream of black blood at her foe.

Howling as the blood ate away at the bony plating and flesh on her face, the hellish lioness collapsed onto her back as the Menhitte skillfully ducked underneath a wild, furious swing from the great ape which was now on a collision course with the Alpha Beowolf who had just managed to remove the barbs from his kneecaps. All the wolf could do was widen his crimson eyes before the fist of the demonic ape impacted his skull with the force of a runaway train which completely shattered the plating around his face like glass. Wailing, the demon harshly tumbled across the ground as if he had been thrown from the windshield of a car before coming to a stop on his belly where black blood began pooling around him as he broke down into black mist.

Before the great ape could process what happened, the Menhitte was already upon him and impaled him with razor sharp barbs in the form of knives which got a few inches in before his dense flesh prevented the weapons from piercing any further. Grumbling, the Menhitte opened her mouth and spat a spray of black blood at the great ape, but her foe anticipated this and harshly struck the Menhitte across the face with the back of his hand. The Menhitte yelped as her head violently snapped to the side which caused the plume of blood to erratically fly from her mouth and onto the ground, but her attack did manage to harm her enemy after all as the Beringel roared in pain as some of the blood still got onto his hand. Before the demonic ape could get his revenge, the Nuckelavee suddenly extended his arm and firmly grasped the side of the Menhitte's face where he dragged her toward him causing the ape to sneer.

The Menhitte grimaced as the rider's claws painfully pierced through her eye with a wet squelch, the cracked armored plating on her face, and the roof of her mouth which made black blood pour down her neck. The Nuckelavee gestured at the building Ashanti and Gates were in, but the gorilla didn't care; pounding his chest, the monster chared at the Menhitte wildly only for his superior to brutally strike the ape across the face with a harsh swipe of his lanky, strong hands which knocked off some of the plating on his face. Angrily pounding his hands on the ground, the great ape climbed to his feet and glared at the Nuckelavee with his teeth barred while the demon glowered back at him before gesturing at the building once more causing the ape to growl before begrudgingly trudging toward the den.

The Nuckelavee, however, screeched as the Menhitte increased the temperature of her blood which charred the flesh on his fingers reducing them to useless nubs which made the demon glower at the lioness who was trying to regain her bearings before everyone heard a loud, furious roar. Giving her best smile, the Menhitte saw the battle scarred Alpha Beowolf leap down from a building and land on top of an Ursa Minor which left the bear as nothing more than a bloody stain on the ground before he expanded the black smoke around his body to encompass the area around the den. The Nuckelavee widened his eyes as most of the Grimm around the den, including some of the older ones, were reduced to nothing but ash in a blink of an eye leaving only the Beringel, a Greater Boarbatusk, a Griffon, an Ursa Major, and a young Goliath.

Snarling, the Menhitte slammed her fist onto the ground causing a maelstrom of black blood to hurtle toward the Nuckelavee who lept to the side to avoid the attack, but screamed in pain as the Elder Grimm closed her fist causing the blood to detonate prematurely in a violent explosion. Ghastly wailing and writhing on the ground like a bug, the demonic rider attempted to get up only to fall back on the ground which caused the Menhitte to join her ally to back him as he was slowly being driven back. Lowering her shoulder, the Menhitte forcefully rammed into the Ursa Major from the side when he attempted to hit her comrade from behind, but the demonic bear dug his feet in and stopped the charge dead in its tracks. Widening her eyes when she saw the grizzly bear swatting at her face, the Menhitte covered the side of her head with her forearm as the blow connected making her hiss as she was forced to shift her weight lest she be knocked off balance.

However, the brief lapse of focus allowed the Ursa Major to tightly wrap its arms around the Menhitte's waist which pinned her arms at her sides as the bear gnawed at her skull making the Elder Grimm grimace. Seeing the Greater Boarbatusk curl up into a ball out of the corner of her eye and charge at them at high speeds, the demonic lioness managed to get enough wiggle room for one of her arms with herculean effort and stabbed her claws through the armpit of the grizzly bear. The monstrous bear wailed in agony and softened its grip on the lioness which was the opening the Elder Grimm needed as she quickly clutched his arm before using leverage to chuck her foe into the path of the oncoming boar. The boar screeched in agony as the back spikes of the Ursa Major stabbed through its face and obliterated the plating while wailed as the tusks of the boar simultaneously impaled him like a lance and pushed the plates on his back out of his chest.

The Menhitte quickly moved onto her next foe when she saw her two foes violently tumble across the ground before coming to a halt on their backs where they began to dissipate into mist before seeing her cohort jump out of the way when the elephant swung its trunk around like a flail. However, he was tackled out of the air by the great ape who viciously slammed him to the ground and before she could assist him, she was blindsided by a powerful blow which sent her flying back in a tailspin. Harshly landing on her arm, the monstrous lioness grit her teeth and attempted to pull herself up only to grimace as heavy, sharp talons roughly pinned her limbs to the ground making her struggle only to wince as the Griffon roughly crushed her hand as a warning.

Snarling, the Menhitte glanced at her cohort and saw the great ape slug him across the face which knocked out some of his incisors before howling in agony when the ape brutally ripped off the plating on his face which caused the flesh on the side of his face to torn off with the mask in a geyser like spray of black blood. Throughout all this, Ashanti and Gates peppered the Goliath with a hailstorm of bullets to keep its attention off of their friends which annoyed the elephant more than anything, but when she saw her friends at the mercy of their enemies, Ashanti balled her hands into fists.

"This isn't working, we need to get down there!" Ashanti exclaimed causing Gates to consider the possible options they could take as the Menhitte managed to free one of her hands and gored the Griffon's legs with her making the hybrid screech before it violently stomped down on the offending hand.

"Ash, we're both not at one hundred percent-"

"Fine, you stay here and provide cover fire while I'm going to get in close since that's where I'm most effective," Ashanti ordered as she slung her rifle over her shoulder and then placed her sword in the loop on her belt as her friend sighed heavily before taking careful aim.

"Fine, but no unnecessary risks, understand?" Gates calmly, but sternly told Ashanti causing the girl to nod curtly as she pulled him in for a quick hug which he returned before the girl sprinted over to the only open window and got out onto the platform where she discreetly jumped down on the ground.

Hissing as the Griffon's beak pierced through her hand and pried off some of her fingers, the Elder Grimm freed her other hand and grasped the foot of the Nuckelavee's mount just as it came crashing down on her. Before the demon could bring his full weight down onto the Menhitte's head, a thunderous bang rang out causing the Nuckelavee's mount to whine as wind dust bullets impacted his foot which caused the horse to stumble to the side and stomp on the ground next to the monstrous lioness's skull while the great ape screeched as bullets infused with volatile fire collided with his back.

Seeing the Beringel wildly sprinting around while trying to put out the fire on his back, the betrayer got back onto his feet and quickly mended some of his wounds now that he had a short reprieve while before the Nuckelavee and Griffon could process what happened, Ashanti raised her rifle and let loose a flurry of wind dust bullets. The Nuckelavee's mount whined and staggered back as the projectiles impacted his face while the Griffon shrieked as the bullets made brutal indents on its chest causing the hybrid to jump off the Menhitte and land on the ground with its hackles raised as Ashanti smirked making the Griffon tilt its head.

" _Forgot about me!?"_ the Menhitte furiously snarled as she sprang to her feet and barreled into the Griffon with her shoulder lowered making the hybrid screech as the lioness firmly wrapped her arms around its waists and hoisted the demon overhead.

Brutally slamming the Griffon down onto her awaiting knee gut first, the hybrid wailed in agony before it wrapped its tail around the lioness's neck and gripped her leg where it sent both of them tumbling to the ground in a heap. Attempting to open her mouth, the Menhitte widened her eyes when the hybrid firmly clamped its talons around her snout to keep her jaw shut which made the lioness twist her hips causing both of them to land on their sides before the lioness sat on the Griffon's chest.

However, when she gore the Griffon's skull with her claws, the Griffon bit down on her wrist and tossed the feline onto her side making the lioness wince before she widened her eyes when she felt herself being pulled into the air. Tossing her up like a ragdoll, the Menhitte uncontrollably tumbled in midair like she had just jumped from the highest mountain and saw the Griffon hurtling toward with its talons extended. Narrowing her eyes, the Menhitte braced herself for impact and tightly gnashed her teeth when the Griffon rammed into her gut where they both violently slashed, gored, gouged, chomped, and swiped at each other while hurtling to the ground.

Gazing skyward, Ashanti's eyes widened when she saw the Menhitte grappling with the Griffon who was keeping her mouth shut before she screeched as the Nuckelavee's hand collided with her gut making her feel as if she had just been hit by a runaway train as the demon violently rammed her against the wall making the girl hack up a glob of saliva. Feeling herself fading and seeing the Nuckelavee clopping toward her, Ashanti fought to stay conscious and focused on the mid-air fight her friend was engaged in.

"Sorry if some of the bullets hit you," Ashanti weakly said as she took careful aim and squeezed the trigger sending a flurry of lead flying towards the direction of the Griffon as the Nuckelavee roughly grabbed the girl's neck with her other hand before eerily wailing in her face making her tremble fearfully.

Hissing and gnashing her teeth as bullets grazed her arm, the Menhitte perked her ears up as the projectiles made vicious dents in the Griffon's chest making the hybrid momentarily soften its grip on her, but that was all the lioness needed. Freeing a hand, the Menhitte harshly slugged the Griffon across the face and then headbutted it making the hybrid screech as the plating on its face shattered as the feline dug her claws into its side and climbed onto its back. Harshly kneeing the Griffon in the back of the head when it tried to shake her off, the lioness tightly grasped the hybrid's wings and pulled back as hard as she could which made the hybrid wail in agony as its wings were torn right from its body.

Without being able to sustain its flight, the Griffon uncontrollably hurtled to the ground like an aircraft that had lost one of its engines, but the Menhitte remained calm and wrapped her arms around the hybrid's neck where she made sure to straighten its flight pattern. When she succeeded, she waited for the right moment before jumping off of the Griffon with its neck still clutched in her hands and twisted herself around like she was doing a hammer toss. Throwing the the hybrid at the Nuckelavee with unstoppable force, the Griffon crashed into the demonic rider like a cannonball when he almost snapped Ashanti's neck like a twig.

Hitting the ground and creating a small crater from the impact, the Nuckelavee seemed more angry than hurt as he threw the Griffon of off him and advanced on Ashanti who released a heavy breathe and climbed to her feet while leaning against the wall for support. Before either demon could do anything to her, the Nuckelavee howled as the Menhitte crashed into him like a freight train where they slid across the ground with the lioness brutally dragging his face on the concrete. Snarling, the Nuckelavee twisted his body which sent the lioness flying off of him where she expertly landed on her feet as the Nuckelavee furiously removed any pieces of rubble from his bloodied face before hellishly wailing at the lioness.

Roaring back, the Menhitte flung a barrage of flechettes at the Nuckelavee who smashed all of the projectiles into dust with his bare hands, but was caught off guard when a volley of lightning dust bullets impacted the face of his mount causing the demon to screech as his muscles locked up. Seeing an opportunity present itself, the Menhitte spewed a steam of searing hot blood at her enemy, but the Nuckelavee had more sense of mind then she realized as he brutally smashed his fist into her face which made the Menhitte's lower jaw to dislocate with a crack. Before the demon could follow up on his assault, the Beringel suddenly collided with him at high speeds after being thrown by the battle scarred Alpha Beowolf which made both of the demons shriek as they hit the ground in a heap before scrambling away from each other.

Though it was neither's fault, the great ape didn't care as he began attacking the Nuckelavee with powerful swings of his arms and chomping on the mount's legs whenever he had the opportunity causing the Nuckelavee to fight back by having his mount attempt to stomp on his kin while he swung his strong, lanky arms to keep the great ape at a distance. Suddenly, the Menhitte heard Ashanti screech causing the lioness to turn her head and widened her eyes where she saw Ashanti trying to keep her distance from the Griffon with shots from her rifle, but the hybrid managed to close in on her. Before the girl could get another shot off, the Griffon lunged forward with a screech and fiercely bit down on Ashanti's wrist where it roughly wrenched it to the side making the girl scream as her rifle was sent flying out of her hands. Quickly brandishing her sword, Ashanti thrust it into the Griffon's neck making the hybrid screech as the blade superficially pierced its flesh which made the Griffon rear up on its back feet and place its talons on the girl's shoulder where it pushed her onto the ground.

" _Hang on!"_ the Menhitte hollered as she snapped her lower jaw into place and slid underneath the legs of the Goliath when it attempted to trample her as the Griffon placed its talons on Ashanti's skull and began forcing all of its weight down onto the girl's head making Ashanti screech.

Forming flechettes in between her fingers, the Menhitte tossed them at the Griffon who shrieked as the barbs pierced into its side as the lioness roughly tackled it to the ground and violently grabbed its head while ruthlessly biting one of its talons when it attempted to rake them across her face. With a furious snarl, the demonic lioness crushed the hybrid's head to mush making the feline release a haggard breathe before turning to Ashanti who was tiredly lying on her back. Seeing her cohort carry Ashanti to safety, the Menhitte jolted when she heard rubble being torn apart along with glass shattering causing her to glance in the direction of the noise and saw the Goliath had thrust its tusks into the building where it roughly yanked Gates out of the building with its trunk. Cursing, the young man futilely emptied his entire clip into the Goliath's face where the bullets bounced off of the demon like they were rubber balls as the elephant increased the pressure on his neck making Gates violently retch as he flailed his legs.

" _Let him go!"_ the Menhitte roared at the Goliath while sprinting toward it as the elephant applied more pressure on Gates's neck making the young man's eyes to turn blue and dry heaved as he vomited a spray of saliva and bile onto the elephant's trunk.

Flinging a razor sharp barb at the elephant, the flechette embedded itself into the Goliath's eye making the monster screech while the betrayer, bulked up and red veins glowing brightly, leaped toward the elephant with a furious roar. Cupping his hands, the betrayer's fists impacted the Goliath's with earth shattering force which caused a shockwave that made cracks in the wall of the building and forced the elephant to release Gates as it fell onto its knees. Catching the young man before he could hit the ground, the Menhitte was about to carry him to safety when the Goliath stomped on the betrayer's foot making the wolf howl in agony before the elephant impaled him on its tusks and violently rammed him through the wall of a small building.

With the battle scarred Alpha Beowlf buried underneath the rubble, the Goliath let out a war cry and charged toward the lioness which made the ground shake violently as if it was being split apart making the Menhitte attempt to move out of the way, but grimaced as the pain she was ignoring finally became too much for her. Acting quickly, she tossed Gates aside and brought her arms up as she caught the Goliath's foot just as it was coming down on her making her entire body feel as if it was being crushed by a mountain. Gnashing her teeth, the Elder Grimm released a labored scream as she was forced onto a knee with the Goliath pressing down on her further making the Menhitte grimace as black blood began pouring out of her mouth, nose, and ear like a raging river.

With a war cry, the lioness shoved the Goliath's foot away with herculean effort making the elephant screech as it was sent flying before it landed on its back with an earth shaking thud as a recovered Betrayer firmly grasped on its tusks. Twisting his hips, Betrayer spun around and threw the Goliath away making the elephant wail as it slid across the ground sending rubble erratically flying in all directions. The Nuckelavee, who had just ripped the head off of the ape, could only widen his eyes when he saw the Goliath hurtling towards him like a runaway train as he was too exhausted with his fight with the Beringel to move out of the way.

Wailing as the elephant crashed into him and crushed him underneath its weight, Betrayer narrowed his eyes as he limped toward the Goliath while Ashanti, Gates, and the Menhitte started to get up only for the ground to violently shake. Widening his eyes as he saw the Nuckelavee eerily wail and lift the Goliath overhead, the demonic rider set the elephant before cracking his limbs and wailing at his foes making Betrayer growl.

" _Time to go,"_ Betrayer ordered as moved the black smoke towards his enemies the entire area with making the Nuckelavee hellishly screech as he instinctively backed away from the scorching substance as Betrayer and the Menhitte picked up their charges.

Retreating while their foe's vision was obscured, the two Elder Grimms continued to run for what seemed like an eternity before Betrayer gazed at the Menhitte who nodded and set Gates down while Betrayer did the same for Ashanti. Grimacing, the lioness nearly collapsed on her face only for Ashanti to wrap her arms around her waist and kept her upright as she led the Elder Grimm in the direction Betrayer was leading them in.

" _I think it's safe to say we all appreciate you coming when you did, but why did you return so soon? I didn't expect to come back until 3 moons from now,"_ the Menhitte inquired curiously as she used her reserve negative energy to speed up the healing process which caused the fingers and teeth she lost in the battle to regrow.

" _Nuckelavee along with horde tried to kill me, nearly succeeded. Worried he would attempt the same thing against you three, returned as soon as I could,"_ Betrayer answered tersely causing the Menhitte to grunt as her lost ear regrew along with her eye causing the Elder Grimm to remove her hand from her face.

" _Well, even if you didn't show up, I think we would have managed,"_ the Menhitte stated before she yowled as Ashanti nudged her in the side and narrowed her eyes at the lioness who glanced at the girl with a raised brow.

"Drop the macho act, you're not impressing anyone," Ashanti told the feline making the monstrous lioness widen her eyes before she grumbled indignantly as her older cohort gave his best smile before gazing at her.

" _Listen to her; you're all young, Nuckelavee and horde full of veterans. Impressive you killed a few, Ashanti and Gates did well also. Need to be better for stronger enemies,"_ Betrayer simultaneously praised and admonished his younger cohorts as the Menhitte reached up and tore off her shattered mask before flinging it to the ground where she used her blood to form a makeshift mask until the plating naturally regrew.

" _Hey, I went toe to toe with the beast man with the scorpion tail and the human who put the crystals in his arms! Also, Ashanti did pretty damn well against the rider and sky lion and Gates saved you from the great ape just in case you forgot!"_ the Menhitte defended both herself and her younger friends causing Ashanti to blush lightly while Gates said nothing as Betrayer grasped the head of a young Beowolf who had came out of nowhere.

" _Don't doubt your prowess, worried for younger comrades. Ashanti and Gates formidable, unable to defeat single huntsman though,"_ Betrayer responded while crushing his younger kin's skull with a sickening crack.

" _Of course we'll continue training them, but first we need to change the location of our den in the parchment I'm going to deliver to their friends! They're coming in a few cycles and their raid will go a lot smoother if they're able to coordinate with us!"_ the Menhitte exclaimed causing her older comrade to glance at her with the torn flesh on the side of his face regenerating before releasing a breathe and looking straight ahead.

" _Do not be rash, it's why you were exiled, letter will be delivered in time. Get to new den, make sure it's safe, make change to letter, then you go to Vale. Follow Sun when in sky, will lead you to path I found,"_ Betrayer retorted making his younger counterpart grumble, but say nothing as the battle scarred Alpha Beowolf approached the double doors of a run down, but relatively intact library.

Forcing the entry point open with a grunt, Betrayer gestured for his comrades to get inside only for his instincts to suddenly scream at him to look ahead which he did and saw an Ursa Major surging toward him with its jaw open and claws extended. Before he could even do anything, deafening cracks rang out which made the Ursa Major wail as it clutched its dented chest courtesy of wind dust bullets. Betrayer widened his eyes as Ashanti moved past him and pressed the trigger which made the demonic bear screech as it was perforated by a barrage of lead until it let out a whimper and collapsed on its back with a thud. Raising a brow, Betrayer gazed at Ashanti who kept her rifle pointed at the monstrous bear before she noticed that everyone was staring at her making her sheepishly blush before Gates chuckled and proudly patted her shoulder making the girl raise a brow.

" _Your aim's gotten better, good job!"_ Exile praised the girl causing Ashanti to widen her eyes before tiredly grinning as she and Gates limped into the building while Betrayer and Exile came in last where they made sure to tightly seal the door behind them.

" _Indeed. Rest, will sweep area with partner,"_ Betrayer stated causing Ashanti to eagerly nod as she walked over to a couch and laid down on it while Gates sat down against the wall as Exile handed him the letter while forming a makeshift pen out of her own blood.

Back at their former base, the Nuckelavee had successfully managed to pop the Goliath's broken foot back into place and attempted to pick up his enemy's trail, but found that he couldn't making the demon hiss lowly. Dismissing the Goliath, the Nuckelavee threw his head back and shrieked hellishly which caused the birds in the area to frantically scatter as he trudged back to his den with his hand dragging across the ground, having lost the battle, but not the war.

* * *

"If the movie theater in the entertainment district is still intact, we could use it as a base. It's sturdy, has no external windows, and ever since the Grimm became more numerous, has a supply of non-perishable food," Wilma heard Lacey suggest as she, Lisa, and Tai meticulously overlooked a holographic map of Mountain Glenn while Wilma put on the clothes the police had given to her.

"If that doesn't work out, we could always use one of the warehouses. The windows are off the ground so we won't have to worry about Grimm breaking in as much, the entrances can be easily barricaded, and we'll have a lot space to work with," Wilma heard Lisa propose as the she approached her friends and the Atlesian soldier where she silently looked at the holographic map of Mountain Glenn as Tai tapped her chin.

"I suggest we use the military forts the Valean Militia put in place before they were forced out by the Grimm. They're meant to withstand sieges, already have the basic facilities, and with any luck, we'll find some left over MREs and gear," Wilma heard Tai recommend causing both Lacey and Lisa to nod before Lacey suddenly glanced at her making Wilma tilt her head.

"What about you, Wilma? Where do you think we should set up shop?" Lacey asked her friend causing Wilma to intake a breathe and slowly let it back out while shifting her lips to one side.

"Maybe...we could camp in the CCT station? Some of the stuff there could still work," Wilma advised causing Lacey, Lisa, and Tai to examine the facility that she recommended before Lisa nodded slowly.

"It's plausible; the equipment had to be built to last since Moutain Glenn was relatively isolated so if we could get them working, we could create private channels on our scrolls," Lisa responded causing Lacey to pat her friend on the shoulder and grin which made Wilma blush lightly as she attached her employee badge to her shirt.

"That's all well and good, but do any of you actually know how to work the stuff there?" the Atlesian soldier skeptically inquired causing Lacey and Lisa to immediately raise their hands making Tai narrow her eyes at the duo.

"Knowing Atlesian technology inside and out was a graduation requirement from the Program and since the tech from the other Kingdoms are similar, I'm confident I'd be able to get the doodads working," Lacey answered making Tai grumble as Lisa sat up in her chair and crossed one leg over the other.

"Considering my line of work, it would be idiotic if I didn't acquaint myself with the tools we use just in case I'm left on my own," Lisa added making Tai grumble, but conceded the point as Lacey smirked and wrapped an arm around Tai's shoulder causing the soldier to raise a brow.

"Ah, don't get mad, soldier girl. You asked a question and you got an answer," Lacey informed Tai in a sickeningly sweet tone of voice making the soldier roll her eyes before gently pushing the Atlesian away.

"Alright, setting up camp in one of the old military forts sounds like the best option and since the mission might take 3-4 days, we should get a week's worth of supplies just in case it takes longer," Lisa recommended which made her group nod as Lacey put on a plain black shirt and poked a hole in cargo pants to make room for her tail before placing her scroll on her belt.

"I'll put in a request with my CO to gather the stuff we need and I'll see if they have any armor in your guys' sizes," Tai volunteered which made the reporter smile ever so slightly while Lacey grinned and nodded gratefully while Wilma rubbed her arm before glancing at the soldier who raised a brow.

"I appreciate that, but could you ask if they could give me back my rifle and sword, please?" Wilma politely requested causing Lacey to fold her arms while Lisa looked up from her scroll and gazed at the girl as if she grew a second head.

"You mean the gear with dried Grimm blood all over it? Not to sound rude, but why?" Lisa incredulously inquired causing Lacey to open her mouth, but quickly shut it when her friend looked at her.

"They...belonged to someone special," Wilma answered causing the huntsman washout to guffaw obnoxiously which made Lisa and Tai gaze at her with raised brows while Wilma narrowed her eyes at her friend.

"I'm just saying, I wouldn't call someone special if I only knew them for a few hours," Lacey pointed out making Wilma grit her teeth and tightly ball her hands into fists before Lisa gently grasped her hands causing Wilma to gaze at Lisa with narrowed eyes.

"I don't know the full story, but if what Lacey says is true, then you have to let it go. I know they may have done something to endear themselves to you, but ultimately you didn't know them long enough to form a worthwhile connection," Lisa tactfully told the girl which made Wilma think back to how she was at the mercy of the Ursa Major when Vickers, like a knight in shining armor, came to her rescue.

"I...I guess you're right. I mean, who'd want to be with a girl like me, right?" Wilma responded with tears welling at her eyes while wearing a fake smile causing Lisa to recoil and was about to open her mouth to clarify when Lacey squeezed Wilma's shoulder.

"Wilma, that's not what we're saying!" Lacey assured her friend, but Wilma just brushed her hand off and walked over to the door where she tightly grasped the door knob which crushed it slightly.

"It's fine, I get it. Let's go do our jobs and after we come back, we should go to the Combat Training Facility so we can get use to fighting with each other," Wilma bluntly, but politely suggested as she held the door open for Lacey who pinched the bridge of her nose

"That...is a great idea, but you're twisting our words. We didn't say you aren't attractive and there's plenty of people who'd want to be with you," Lacey told her friend sincerely, but Wilma merely grunted and furrowed her brow as she averted her gaze from her friend.

"Hmph," Wilma snorted as she began walking down the hall causing Lacey to groan irritably before jogging to catch up to Wilma as one figure wearing a plain white shirt, navy blue jeans, and a blue baseball cap and another figure wearing a gray shirt with the latest picture of boy band placed on the front, black overalls, and a brown fedora began following them.

"They're moving, we're going to follow them at a discreet distance," Ciel whispered into the device in her ear as she did a quick scan of the area before glancing at Penny and quietly gesturing at their marks.

Smiling and nodding vigorously, the orange haired girl mimicked Ciel before stepping out of cover while bouncing on her toes as the time keeper pulled the visor of her baseball cap over her eyes.

"This is so exhilarating! I can't belive-"

"Yes Penny, it's very exciting, but we can't let them know they're being watched," Ciel muttered while slapping a hand over Penny's mouth causing her teammate to tilt her head confusedly before her eyes lit up like the sun.

"Oh, I get it! So we have to be quiet and sneaky like Blake, right?" Penny asked making Ciel pinch the bridge of her nose and tilt her head downward before sighing softly and nodding slowly.

"Yes, Penny, now come on," Ciel ordered her cohort making Penny eagerly nod with a wide, sunny grin as the odd duo pursued Wilma and Lacey before Neon Katt "unintentionally" bumped into Ciel and stood shoulder to shoulder with her.

"Hey guys. Whatcha doin?" Neon inquired in a sickeningly sweet tone of voice making the time keeper growl under her breathe as Penny waved happily at the cat girl who smiled warmly and waved back.

"Salutations, Neon! Ciel and I are going to sp-"

"Penny, shush! Neon, while I would like to fill you in on the details, that information is classified," Ciel answered while clamping a hand over Penny's mouth as the cat girl grinned mischievously before putting a hand on her hip.

"Well, since you two are going to spy on my gal pal and my gal pal's new friend, I'll come with you," Neon stated making the time keeper snort as she grabbed her comrade's arms and took cover behind the corner when Lacey looked behind her, confusedly looked around, shrugged, and went on her way.

"We didn't say-"

"You are though, so no use lying to me," Neon interrupted Ciel while sticking out her tongue causing the time keeper to shake her head and round the corner with Penny and their uninvited cohort following her.

"Fine, you can come. Just keep quiet," Ciel seethed which made the cat girl smile and swish her tail back and forth as the time keeper rubbed her temple before refocusing on the mission as Neon and Penny chatted amiably with each other.

However, the three Atlesian students were unaware that two others were also tailing their marks at a farther distance as Mercury casually pressed the communication device on his ear while Emerald kept her sight on Wilma and Lacey.

"Cinder, we're tailing our two marks, but so are three huntsman," Emerald informed the fire witch who grunted on the other line as Mercury stretched his arms before pressing a finger to the device in his ear.

"You want us to take them out first before we kill the fat girl and the wash-out?" Mercury inquired as Emerald roughly rammed her elbow into his side making the assassin yelp before glaring at the thief who smirked at him.

"No, I'll handle them. Stay on mission and remember to make it look unprofessional. We can't afford to draw anymore suspicion to ourselves," Cinder ordered causing the silver-haired assassin to sigh disappointingly before voicing his affirmative as a janitor opened the door to the maintenance room and gestured for the duo to get in which they did.

* * *

"Are you going to be okay by yourself?" Tai concernedly asked Lisa as she stopped in the middle of the doorway and glanced at the reporter who yawned loudly before nodding.

"I'll be fine, and if not, I always have my hand cannon," Lisa assured her friend causing Tai to uncertainly squish her lips to the side and tilt her head before hesitantly nodding and grabbing the coat she left hanging on the wall.

"If you feel like you're in trouble, just give me a call," Tai told her friend causing Lisa to smile as the soldier gave her playful salute before exiting the room as the reporter typed something into her scroll before setting the device down on her desk.

Leaning back in her chair, Lisa stood up where she grabbed the set of clothes she prepared the night before and walked over to the bathroom only to stop in her tracks. Glancing at her pillow, the reporter walked over to her bed and grabbed the hand cannon she placed underneath her pillow and holstered it to her thigh before entering the bathroom. However, Lisa was none the wiser to a certain black haired, green eyed woman silently opening the window and entering the room without a sound as she easily hacked into the scroll Lisa left on her desk.

Smirking when she found the information about the White Fang in the published newspaper along with some Lisa chose to wisely withhold, a list comprised of possible bases her group could camp in, a reminder to make contact with Wilma and Lacey's friends when they got to Mountain Glenn, and another reminder to go to the CTF, the green-eyed woman shut off the scroll and extended the blade at the tip of her umbrella.

Disappointingly sighing when she realized that she'd only be able to kill one of them, she suddenly smiled warmly when she realized that that with no one to help Lisa, she was free to pick her apart at her leisure. Happily humming, the assassin cast an illusion which made her transparent before creeping up to her prey who had just splashed her face with warm water and proceeded to wipe her face with a towel.

Running a hand through her hair, Lisa didn't see the translucent outline of her assassin who stood up and drew her arm back, but just as Neo was about to skewer her blade through Lisa's spine, the reporter suddenly turned around and accidentally ran into Neo. Quietly yelping, the assassin was knocked onto her butt where she mentally chastised herself for letting her guard down over such a trivial thing while Lisa jolted and nearly fell on her face before catching herself. Gritting her teeth, Neo abandoned the stealthy approach and used her scroll to turn the stereo in the room up to max volume as her prey threw her wet towel at the assassin's face causing the killer to gasp as the object obscured her vision even if it was only for a brief moment.

Growling, Neo threw the towel aside and extended her umbrella which stopped the volley of bullets being fired at her dead in their tracks where she then rolled underneath another hailstorm of lead before front flipping toward her target. Widening her eyes, Lisa barely managed to dive out of the way as Neo violently smashed her heel where the reporter's skull had once been causing the ground to crack with a mighty thud where it left a small crater in its wake. Regaining her composure, Lisa lifted her hand cannon and pulled the trigger...only to see her bullets shatter the assassin like glass. Feeling her breathe hitch, Lisa saw the assassin standing to her right with her arms folded and smug smirk on her face causing Lisa to fire at the green-eyed woman only for Neo to break apart into shards once again.

Gnashing her teeth, Lisa ignored the beads of sweat dripping down her brow as she saw her assailant right in front of her causing her to point her hand cannon at the assassin only to hiss when a hard, sharp kick from Neo hit her wrist which caused the hand cannon to slid across the floor. Flowing with the momentum, Neo spun around like a ballerina and landed a stiff, vicious kick against Lisa's face with the heel of her other foot eliciting a scream from Lisa as she tumbled across the floor like a ragdoll and harshly hit the wall head first. Lying in a daze, all Lisa could see was faint, blurry blobs as Neo waltzed toward her with a hand on her hip where she roughly grabbed a patch of Lisa's hair and lifted her up to eye level.

Biting down a curse, Lisa glared at the assassin who savagely smirked back at her before ruthlessly smashing Lisa's face against the hard, unforgiving railing of her bed eliciting a howl from the reporter. Yanking Lisa's head back, Neo did it again making Lisa scream in agony as she felt as if someone was a car was driving over her skull as the assassin released her grip on her prey's hair. Watching as the reporter crumpled onto her belly and breathed heavily before managing to get onto all fours, the killer grinned wildly and reared her foot back. Throwing a powerful roundhouse kick at Lisa's head, the assassin expected the kick to connect...only for the reporter to catch Neo's foot underneath her armpit which did make her Lisa hiss as a painful tremor traveled along the side of her body.

Bringing her arm back, Lisa slugged the area in between Neo's legs as hard as she could which made the killer yelp and gnash her teeth as she stumbled back while clutching her wounded womanhood. Breathing heavily, Lisa sluggishly climbed to her feet and dove forward where she landed a stiff, hard punch across Neo's face which made the assassin see stars as she collided against the wall which made Neo wince. Gagging as Lisa roughly placed her forearm against her throat, Neo shut her eyes and tensed her muscles as the reporter viciously struck her across the face with her elbow again and again causing Neo to grunt with each blow.

Enduring the pain, Neo brought her legs up and violently planted them against Lisa's midsection making the journalist dry heave as she was sent flying across the room while Neo rubbed her throat before narrowing her eyes at Lisa. Sucking in a pained breathe, Lisa put a hand on her gut and placed a hand on the wall for support where she leaned her head back when a razor sharp blade stabbed the air where her face once was. Firmly grasping Neo's wrist holding the umbrella, Lisa covered her head with her arm as Neo ferociously swung her leg at her skull which made the reporter scream as even though she blocked the kick, she felt something snap.

Rearing her head back, Lisa smashed her forehead against Neo's gut as if she were a ram butting heads with a rival making the assassin wince as Lisa firmly gripped the back of Neo's black dress and attempted to flip her onto her side. However, the green-eyed killer kept herself rooted to the ground like a fortress gate standing strong against an enemy assault before violently ramming her knee into Lisa's face. Shrieking, Lisa's felt her whole body shut down as not only did her aura shatter, but her nose broke with a sickening crack sending a spray of blood across the wall like paint with a streak of blood getting on the side of Neo's lips

Viciously grinning, Neo eagerly licked the blood like it was ice cream as she savagely looked down at Lisa whose eyes were nearly glazed over with blood pouring down her nose and onto her clothes like a waterfall. Smiling, Neo reached forward and grasped Lisa's hair, but the reporter, using the last of her strength, spat in Neo's eye making the assassin recoil which gave Lisa enough time to wrap an arm around Neo's back. Using her hips for momentum, Lisa viciously uppercutted the area in between Neo's legs with her elbow which made Neo, for the first time in this "fight" to retch as she fought to stay on her wobbly legs while feeling as if her womanhood and gut were being crushed from the inside out.

Forcing down the pain, Neo glared darkly at Lisa who was feebly gulping down breathes of air as the assassin sneered and gored Lisa's thigh with the blade on her umbrella causing Lisa to throw her head back and howl in pain. Weakly gripping the umbrella, Lisa uselessly tried to pull it out with her good arm as Neo released a cathartic breathe and slowly twisted the blade making Lisa grit her teeth before wailing as the assassin turn the blade like a top causing tears to stream down Lisa's face like a river as she wept. Letting out a relieved breathe, Neo smiled warmly at Lisa and gratefully patted her on the shoulder as if she was an old friend while Lisa shook violently and glared at Neo with red, teary eyes as the assassin grabbed her collar. Dragging Lisa over to her bed with surprising strength, Lisa planted her one good leg on the ground and fiercely tugged back on Neo's wrist causing the assassin to irritably roll her eyes and shake her head.

Standing Lisa up and shoving her toward the bed, the reporter nearly collapsed to the floor like a ragdoll only to screech as she felt Neo's foot harshly hit the back of her head like a wrecking ball which made her forehead brutally hit the railing of the bed. Feeling her vision blur and wet, warm blood pouring down the side of her head, Lisa attempted push herself with her one usable arm only for the limb to limply flop about. Grimacing as Neo sat on her neck, the reporter tightly gripped the bedsheet and gnashed her teeth as Neo brutally began pressing her knee down onto the back of her skull causing the reporter to tightly grip Neo's leg. Lisa then violently gagged and flailed her arm as Neo firmly wrapped the bows tying her black hair together around the reporter's neck like a garrote and simultaneously tugged them in opposite directions while yanking them upward while continuing to push Lisa's head down with a cruel smile.

Releasing a dry, haggard breathe, Lisa erratically flailed her leg and wildly yanked at the ribbon which remained taut as Lisa dug her nails into Neo's thighs, but the assassin merely tilted her head with an amused smirk. Croaking, a mixture of blood and saliva trickled down the side of Lisa's mouth which poured onto the bed sheet as the assassin hummed a catchy tune to herself before applying as much pressure as she could. Loudly retching, Lisa uselessly tugged at the bow and futilely dug her nails into Neo's thigh as hard as she could before she went limp and trembled before spitting up a giant wad of blood and saliva onto the bed causing Neo to immediately ease up on the pressure to ensure that Lisa didn't die on her yet.

Jumping onto the floor, Neo tousled the reporter's hair like she was a beloved pet before removing her umbrella from Lisa's thigh making the reporter twitch as Neo raised her blade overhead with a feral grin. Just as she was about to stab it through Lisa's spine, a Menhitte with black blood covering the parts of her face where her mask would be along with a large scar on her chest burst into the room sending shards of glass and debris flying everywhere. Barring her teeth, the Elder Grimm took advantage of Neo's shock and wrapped her hands around the assassin's neck where she hoisted Neo up into the air. Now it was Neo's turn to feel helpless against a stronger foe as she kicked Exile's chin, ribs, midsection, and armpits as hard as she could, but the creature of Grimm didn't even flinch. Even casting an illusion that she was no longer in the demon's grip didn't work as Exile tensed her muscles causing searing hot black smoke to cover her and then encompass Neo who opened her mouth as if to shriek, but no sound came out as the smoke quickly burnt her aura like a raging fire

Seeing her prey too focused on her pain, Exile opened her maw and vomited a boiling hot spray of black blood onto Neo's face making the assassin open her mouth as if to scream as the blood dissolved the last of her aura and left her at the mercy of the Elder Grimm. As much as Exile wanted to give Neo a well deserved, ironic death, she remained focused on her task and simply speared her fist through Neo's heart making the assassin spit a glob of blood onto the Elder Grimm's coat as her pupils shrunk to the size of small coins before she went limp. Sighing, Exile removed her bloodied fist from Neo's chest with a wet squelch before releasing the assassin who crumpled to the floor where she ignored the box creating the deafening, incoherent sounds.

" _Even now, I still cannot fathom how a human can be as cruel as my kind,"_ Exile incredulously said to herself as she rushed to Lisa's side and tilted her head slightly so she wouldn't drown in her own blood and saliva before placing her thumbs at both sides of the reporter's nose.

" _Sorry about this,"_ Exile whispered as she twisted the reporter's nose back into place with a sickening crack causing Lisa to scream before whimpering which made the Elder Grimm soothingly rub her back which calmed the reporter down to an extent.

Next, the Elder Grimm applied pressure on the stab wound on Lisa's leg which stopped the blood flow entirely causing the Elder Grimm to look around the room and found a dry towel lying on a pile of clean clothes. Ripping the towel into three segments, Exile wrapped one around the wound on Lisa's thigh, placed the other around Lisa's neck as an improvised cervical collar, and applied the last onto the gash on the reporter's forehead. Placing a blanket over Lisa to keep her arm, Exile suddenly heard a cacophony of footsteps storming toward the room which made her grumble as she made to leave when she saw a scroll resting in the garment of the now dead assassin's upper body.

Grabbing the tool from Neo's garment, Exile placed it in the unconscious Lisa's hand before departing to continue to follow the scents of Wilma and Lacey as a squad of Atlesian soldiers burst into the room with weapons at the ready. They gazed at the violent, bloody scene in front of them with incredulous eyes before they regained their composure with the leader calling for medical personnel, one soldier examining Neo's dead body, another checking up on Lisa, and the last one staring wide-eyed at the giant, gaping hole in the room and wondering what could have caused it.


	20. Chapter 20 Turn on its Head

Ch.20

Turn on its Head

 _RWBY is the property of its respective owners, Ocs belong to me_

"Well...here we go," Jin grumbled as she made sure to place her bangs in front of her near useless eye before contacting Sienna Khan on a secured channel as Ebony stared down at the ground long and hard before sighing.

"You can tell High Leader Khan the truth if you want, but we can't let Adam in on the fact that Deshret and I allowed it" Ebony told the observer causing Jin to widen her eyes before narrowing them at the soldier who blankly stared back at her.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Jin suspiciously asked the duo causing Ebony to shrug and put a hand on her hip.

"One, it's going to be hilarious to see Adam's reaction, and two, is that I've wanted to tell Sienna everything, but I never got the opportunity...until now," Ebony answered bluntly which made the observer continue to warily gaze at the goon causing Ebony to roll her eyes.

"Look, I only listen to Adam because I was assigned to his unit; I hate him as much as you do," Ebony stated causing Jin to grunt before gazing at Deshret who jovially waved at her as she placed a gauntlet on her hip.

"Well...I'm going to take over Vacuo one day and restore it to the oasis it once was so neutralizing Adam and his followers before they become more of a threat is in my Kingdom's best interests," Deshret explained causing Jin to raise a brow before glancing at Ebony who shrugged which made the observer shake her head as the High Leader answered her call with Sienna being projected as a hologram which towered over the three women.

"Hello Jin, I hope things are going well for you and the White Fang in Vale," Sienna amicably greeted her observer causing Jin to take a deep breathe and let it back out before staring directly into the hologram's eyes.

"Unfortunately High Leader, all is not well. You see, Adam and the Vale branch are under the control of a woman named Cinder who intends to lead an assault on Vale with the White Fang as one of the prongs," Jin replied causing the High Leader to widen her eyes before sitting up straight and clasping her hands together where she narrowed her eyes at Jin.

"How did this woman gain control of the Vale branch?" Sienna calmly inquired which made Jin bring up a list of the names of the deceased White Fang soldiers that were part of the train heist in Adam's previous report.

"From what I understand, by threatening them with annihilation. In his report, Adam said he and his men were ambushed by Atlesian soldiers, but there were no Atlas military outposts near the area of his camp so I suspect that Cinder and her associates were responsible for their deaths," Jin explained while causing the High Leader to cross one leg over the other and rub her chin before coolly staring at the observer.

"And...Adam is okay with this unequal partnership?" Sienna skeptically asked which made Jin shrug and nod causing the High Leader's brow to furrow and her lip to twitch, but otherwise was expressionless.

"More or less; in exchange for being under Cinder's heel, he gets top of the line tech and an influx of new recruits, though the second part isn't true anymore ever since that newspaper came out," Jin answered causing the High Leader to nod slowly and rub her chin before leaning back on her throne.

"Yes, I read it; it wasn't mere slander like I expected it to be. While this does sound like something Adam would do, I'm going to need more proof before I come to a decision," Sienna stated causing Jin to brush her bangs back and point at her nearly destroyed eye, Deshret to send the estimated number of soldiers killed clearing the debris from the tracks, and Ebony to send the total number of bombs already prepared with the stolen dust to Sienna's scroll.

"When I met Cinder, she threatened to destroy the blueprints to the prototype rifles, airships, and bullets we're developing along with burning my eye to crisp so I would falsify an all clear," Jin began causing the High Leader to widen her eyes and look at Jin not as a subordinate, but as a friend that desperately needed someone to lean on.

"Adam and Adolf have the grunts working round the clock to clear any rubble from the tracks which caused a good chunk of our people to die in the process, not that he or High Command care in particular," Deshret added with a frown as Sienna stared at the estimated death toll on her scroll and pinched the bridge of her nose before wearily glancing at Ebony.

"Once the tracks are clear, Cinder's going to send trains through with bombs in each boxcar so even though all the tracks lead to a dead end, the explosives will create openings in the heart of Vale which release the Grimm trapped inside the tunnels," Ebony finished causing the High Leader to hunch forward with hand over her face where she sighed heavily before sitting up with her muscles tensed.

"So if I order the Vale branch to withdraw from Mountain Glenn, this Cinder will destroy our prototype tech and most likely kill those who're developing it?" Sienna inquired causing Jin to solemnly nod which made the High Leader's lips twitch as Ebony suddenly stepped forward causing Sienna to raise a brow.

"Not only that, but she'll kill anyone who poses a threat to her plan, and that includes you, High Leader. Cinder's lackeys already assassinated Commander Tukson and now they're attempting to do the same to a squad who went rogue," Ebony added causing Sienna to nod slowly and stare down at the ground while thumping her fingers against the armrest of her chair before looking up at the three women.

"Alright, I've come to a decision and in light of this new information, I will definitely take some precautions. Would you please bring your scroll to an area where everyone can see me?" Sienna requested causing Jin to get up and grasp the door knob while Ebony and Deshret crouched forward as Jin held up three fingers.

When she brough the last finger down, Jin threw the door open and sprinted out of the room while Ebony and Deshret made it look like they were chasing her as Jin "tripped" causing the scroll to skid across the ground where it nudged Adam's foot. Growling, the Crimson Scourge turned around only to widen his eyes when he saw the hologram of Sienna looming over him which was now the size of any of the prototype Paladins Roman had appropriated.

"High Leader-"

"Save the formalities, what is this I hear about you working with a woman who plans on attacking Vale?" Sienna sharply interrupted the folk hero who cursed under his breath and glowered at Jin who glared at back at him as Deshret forced Jin's arms behind her back while mouthing a silent apology.

"High Leader, whatever she's told you are just lies-"

"Like the one you're trying to tell me right now? Adam, I've been able to overlook your methods because I was under the impression that you still wanted to serve our people, but clearly I was wrong. How do you not see that this attack will not only solidify humanity's hatred of us, but also lead to the countless deaths of the very people we're fighting for!?" Sienna nearly roared at the Crimson Scourge, but simply raised her voice and folded her arms as Adam disdainfully shook his head.

"That's your problem, Sienna. You've always been too soft to make the hard decisions," Adam derisively mocked the High Leader who grunted, but remained calm in the face of the insult as all the soldiers stopped what they were doing and watched the exchange.

"Hard decisions only work if they serve a purpose, Adam; effective immediately, what's left of the Vale branch is to return to Mistral and await reassignment. In addition, Adam Taurus and any of his followers are now considered persona non grata by the White Fang and they're brought to Mistral to face punishment," Sienna ordered causing Jin, Ebony, and Deshret to share a quick high five while the seams of Adam's coat glowed bloody red as he gritted his teeth and stamped his foot on the ground like an angry child.

"You can't do this! Not when-"

"As High Leader, I can. Whatever role the White Fang was supposed to play in your partner's plan dies here and now," the High Leader interrupted causing the Crimson Scourge to tightly ball his hands into fists before he relaxed and suddenly smirked at Sienna causing the High Leader to warily narrow her eyes.

"Fine, but I want you to know that the moment you exit this call, I'm going to kill anyone who attempts to follow through with your orders," Adam stated in a calm, almost child-like voice as he brandished Wilt as Adolf and any of Adam's loyal followers began corralling the common grunts into a circle like cattle.

"You say the sweetest things, Adam," Ebony quipped as a cannon shaped like a rhinoceros beetle materialized underneath her forearm where she gently pressed it against Jin's ribs while Deshret shooed away any soldiers attempting to force Jin into the circle.

"This is all being recorded, Taurus, so I suggest-"

"That's fine, Khan. I want the whole world to know what happens when they stand in my way," Adam coolly cut her off before glancing at Adolf and motioning with his hands at the copious amount of soldiers who nervously huddled together.

"Alright, anyone who wants to leave the circle has to do whatever Adam says. We're going to crack down harder on traitors starting with anyone who wants to follow Sienna," Adolf boomed to the huddled grunts with many leaving the circle either out of fear, loyalty, or self-preservation, but a handful remained in the circle while defiantly glaring at their executioners.

"Remember Sienna, these deaths are on you," Adam informed the High Leader with a savage grin as he smashed the scroll under his boot, but before for his soldiers could open fire, they suddenly howled in pain and collapsed on the ground with big, burning holes the size of baseballs through their heads.

Widening his eyes, Adam glanced to the side and irritably shook his head when he saw the muzzle of Ebony's cannon smoking while Deshret took out the goons with a swing of her left gauntlet which extended itself with taut chains.

"Wow, it's no wonder Blake loves you so much," Ebony quipped as Deshret reeled her chained gauntlets back like a fishermen where they slammed back into her vambraces with a loud, metallic clank.

"Say her name again-"

"Just shut up, Adam. Here's a thought; since Cinder would obviously want the loyalists neutralized, why don't we just let them go into the forest? The Grimm will most likely take care of them and they'll be too busy defending themselves to pose a threat to her plan; boom, problem solved," Ebony suggested sourly causing Adam to snort before he turned his head when he saw Roman walking up to the gathered soldiers with his men while twirling his cane.

"Look, I don't know what this territorial dispute is about and I don't care. Our boss is really prudent that we get things done on time and I'm not about to have my head on the chopping block just because you animals can't agree on how to do things," Roman rudely cut in as he placed a cigar in his mouth and glanced at one of his men causing the goon to roll his eyes before walking up to the criminal and holding the lighter up to his cigar.

"This doesn't concern you, Torchwick," Adam growled causing the criminal to take a long puff from his cigar before exhaling a puff of smoke and narrowing his eyes at the terrorist where he flicked some of the ashes at the folk hero.

"Actually, being the guy who got you all the shiny, new toys from Atlas before they hit the shelves and the one who stole all this dust, I'd say it does concern me. So, how about you get your crew back in line before Cinder decides to fry us both to a crisp?" Roman retorted as he took another puff from his cigar before dropping it to the ground and roughly grinding it under his boot causing Adam to grunt as Deshret suddenly leaned her face closer to Jin's ear.

"The detention center is located near Requisitions, but we don't know where Vickers is being held. We'll try to clear a path for you, but be quick and uh, sorry about this," Deshret whispered causing Jin to raise a brow as the commando suddenly yanked the observer's head back making Jin yelp as the back of her head smashed into Deshret's face which made Jin's vision blur.

Continuing the act, Ebony suddenly shoved her cannon underneath Jin's armpit in order to make it look like the observer had broken free as the soldier pulled the trigger causing a deadly salvo of pressurized steam to collide with Adam and violently explode in a searing hot spray of vapor. Howling in pain as they were violently blown backwards along with their flesh being brutally singed, Adam sat up and glared at the observer as Ebony grabbed Jin's wrist and made it look like Jin threw the soldier's backpack on the ground. Ebony's "backpack" suddenly formed into a Spider Tank the size of an armored truck with some of the armaments from the prototype Paladins grafted onto its frame as the drone suddenly "tripped" and planted the muzzle of its cannons against the floor.

Fueling its cannons with fire and water dust, the Spider Tank "accidentally" fired at the ground causing a powerful explosion caused when the water suddenly turned into steam without boiling first. Screaming in a mix of agony and age, Adam and his followers were burned yet again and thrown back from the energy behind the explosion while Jin clutched her ringing head where she saw Deshret saying something, but couldn't hear her. Feeling the commando push her away and pointing ahead, the observer confusedly nodded and grabbed a fallen shotgun along with two pistols from the holster of a goon Ebony had shot prior before limping toward the detention center.

"Have to do everything myself around here, I swear!" Roman exclaimed irritably as he launched a fiery red orb at Sienna's loyalists as the Spider Tank suddenly unleashed a burst of pressurized steam at Torchwick's feet when he and his thugs attempted to pursue Jin.

Hearing footsteps rapidly approaching her from behind, Jin looked behind her and widened her eyes when Deshret wrapped her arms around her waist and forcibly carried her over to the wall where she roughly plowed Jin through it. Retching, Jin felt the wind get knocked out of her as she along with Deshret lay underneath a pile of rubble where the observer moaned in agony as the commando began to push the debris off of them.

"Ugh, I thought you were helping me," Jin groaned while turning on her side causing Deshret to chuckle as she grabbed Jin's arm and hauled the observer to her feet where the observer groggily stumbled around before keeping herself in place.

"I am; you were going too slow so I gave you a helpful push," Deshret explained with a shit eating grin causing Jin to glare at the conqueror before rolling her eyes and picking up her fallen shotgun.

"Fine, whatever, just help me find Vickers," Jin stated as she checked how many rounds she had left before Deshret suddenly pushed her behind cover which made the observer yelp as a squad of soldiers barreled down the hall.

"What the hell? We thought you had her!" one of the goons shouted at Deshret who shrugged and dusted herself off before staring at the group of thugs with a gauntlet on her hip.

"She's more slippery than I thought, but we can still salvage this. You guys go to the left-"

And that's all Deshret said before she swung her left gauntlet at the goons which extended and harshly crashed into them with a sickening crack elicting howls of pain from the thugs as the armored glove brutally slammed them against the wall. Humming, Deshret recalled her gauntlet causing the thugs to collapse face first on the ground completely motionless where she kicked clips of ammo to Jin who attached the magazines to her belt.

"Alright, let's go free your boyfriend," Deshret jested causing Jin to roll her eyes before limping down the hall as the commando trailed behind her and took out any goons attempting to get in their way.

After what seemed like an eternity navigating an impassable maze, Jin saw Vickers restlessly pacing around his cell while trying to get the guard's attention, but they ignored him even as an explosion caused the walls to shake.

"Look, if we're under attack, I can help you, but you have to let me out!" Vickers shouted with frustration clear on his face as the two guards continued to stare straight ahead with blank, stone gazes causing the bodyguard to throw his arms up and release an irritated breathe.

"Keep it quiet, prisoner," one of the guards ordered while banging the stock of his rifle against the metallic bars causing Vickers to ground his teeth and flip the bird at each of his wardens as Deshret motioned for Jin to get behind her.

Nodding, the observer got behind the commando, put a hand on her shoulder, and crouched down slightly as Deshret began to walk towards the guards who noticed her presence, but dutifully remained on watch.

"Hello~! I'll be taking that prisoner off your hands now!" Deshret hollered at the guards who just stared at her with wooden gazes as the commando stopped beside them while positioning herself in such a way so Jin would remain hidden.

"We can't do that; our orders-"

That was all the guard could say before Jin emerged from her hiding spot and brutally shot the guard in his kneecap causing him to howl in agony and crumple to the floor before Jin shot the last guard in his sternum at point-blank range. Wailing, the other guard flew back where he roughly crashed into the metallic bars of the cell and slumped to the floor while groaning miserably as Vickers could barely process what just happened. Gesturing for her bodyguard to stand back, Jin blasted the lock to smithereens and kicked the cell door open where she holstered her shotgun and handed Vickers the pistols she stole along with magazines for the weapons.

"So, are we under attack?" Vickers inquired as he grabbed the offered items and experimentally aimed down sight with each of the pistols before nodding in approval as Jin took out her shotgun and shook her head.

"No, I told High Leader Khan the truth and she ordered an immediate withdrawal along with an arrest warrant for Adam. No surprise, Adam is trying to kill any and all of Sienna's followers so we have to get them on airships and fly them back to Mistral," Jin responded causing the commander to widen his eyes and stare at the observer as if she grew a second head where he then put a hand over his face and dragged it down before nodding.

"Alright, I'll rally the survivors and make a push to the airfield; you find us a ship that we can use to fly out of here," Vickers ordered causing Jin to nod as the commander rushed out of the detention center while Deshret approached the observer and placed the muzzle of the shotgun against her gut causing Jin to widen her eyes.

"I can't make it look like I helped you so we have to continue the act," Deshret told Jin as she shut off her aura which made Jin's arms tremble and step back causing the commando to gently grasp Jin's wrists.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Deshret assured Jin with a wide, warm grin causing Jin to worriedly glance at the commando before shutting her eyes and slowly inching her fingers towards the trigger.

Hearing a loud, deafening bang and a grunt, Jin opened her eyes and saw Deshret stumble back while clutching her stomach which was riddled with nasty, bloodied holes and for a moment, Jin thought the commando was truly going to die. However, to Jin's surprise, she saw the bullet holes glow a hot, burning orange which increased the oxygen intake into the wounded areas and sped up Deshret's healing process.

"Now shoot me in the thigh," Deshret ordered causing Jin to reluctantly point her shotgun at the commando's thigh even after seeing she had the capability to survive such injuries.

Wincing when she felt the slugs penetrate her thigh and shoulder, Deshret leaned back against the wall and sighed softly as the newly wounded areas began burning intensely which caused the injuries to quickly mend themselves.

"Alright, now go-"

Deshret started to say only for Adam himself to suddenly come into view where both Jin and Deshret saw that his mask was chipped which exposed one of his crimson, Grimm like eyes and his black, menacing coat was torn to shreds which exposed various, nasty scrapes and cuts along his body.

"You ruined...EVERYTHING! We were going to strike a blow for faunus everywhere, but you had to grow a conscience!" Adam roared as he brought Blush up to bear and furiously fired round after round at Jin who batted away the initial volley of lead by swinging her shotgun as a bat, but shrieked as some bullets harshly crashed into her arm which knocked her weapon from her hand.

Crashing to the ground, Jin hissed and gripped her bruised arm as she began to inch herself toward her fallen weapon only to yelp as Deshret forcibly hauled her to her feet and slammed her face first against the wall.

"Wait for my signal and then run," Deshret whispered while wrenching her arm behind her back causing Jin to grit her teeth as Adam he angrily stomped toward the duo causing the observer to struggle to break free.

Just as Adam was about to bring Wilt down on Jin's neck, Deshret yanked the observer back while making it look like as if Jin had elbowed her in the face which made the commando grunt as she then smashed her left gauntlet into Adam's ribs while making it look like as if it was an instinctual reaction to grab onto something. Hissing, Adam crumpled to his knees and tightly clutched his gut while Deshret collapsed against the wall as Jin grabbed her fallen shotgun and hightailed it out of the detention center. Glancing behind her, Jin gasped when she Adam nearly upon her with Wilt raised overhead, but couldn't help but chuckle when he suddenly fell face first onto the concrete when Deshret tripped him up with her extended foot. Gratefully nodding at Deshret, the observer continued to run away while Adam angrily picked himself up and stubbornly ran after her without sparing a second glance at Deshret who didn't mind as she calmly climbed to her feet. Rolling her neck, the self proclaimed conqueror of Vacuo ran after the duo while hoping that the battle wasn't coming to a close.

* * *

"Ozpin, you can't ignore this. Not only did one of them nearly kill Lisa, but the contents of the assassin's scroll revealed they put a sleeper virus within my machines on the night of the dance! The entire Atlesian military is completely compromised!" Ironwood shouted at his friend from over the desk causing the esteemed headmaster to nod solemnly and clasp his hands together before leaning forward slightly.

"General, I know the situation looks bad-"

"Looks bad? It's worse, Oz; what would have happened if we didn't find out about this virus before it was too late? We would have had AK-200s and Paladins gunning down innocent civilians with no way to shut them down!" Ironwood interrupted causing the headmaster to sigh softly and stand up from his chair where he walked over to the window and watched the students go about their day unaware of the danger they were in.

"And what would have me do, James? Have your soldiers bust down the door of Cinder's dorm and bring them in for interrogation when we don't know if this is what she wants?" Ozpin inquired causing the general to narrow his eyes at the headmaster and ball his hands into fists before relaxing and putting them behind his back.

"If that's what it takes, then yes. Oz, we're sitting on a bomb right now and the problem is that you think we can stop it before it goes off. Salem's always been a step ahead and recent events show that she's widening the gap," Ironwood answered causing Ozpin to grunt, but say nothing as he continued to watch the students walk around campus before turning around and thumping his cane on the ground.

"James, we can stop her. We just need to hold the line, gather what intel we can, and strike back-"

"When the opportunity presents itself, I know. But Salem's always been on the offensive and we've just been reacting to it as best as we could and as Amber's condition shows, it's not good enough. I'm sorry, Oz, but we can't afford to wait any longer," Ironwood hesitantly stated as the general unclipped his scroll from his belt and contacted the security which made Ozpin tighten his grip on his cane.

"Sergeant Green, I want you-"

Ironwood started only for Ozpin to snatch the scroll out of his hands and cut off the call causing the general to glare at his old friend as Ozpin sat back down in his chair and calmly set the general's scroll down on his desk.

"This is my school, general, and I won't have you turning it into a prison. You can order Ms. Soleil and Mrs. Polendina to take whatever action you wish, but I won't have you or Chief Asher making any rash decisions until we have a full understanding of what we're up against," Ozpin stated calmly, but firmly as he slowly slid Ironwood's scroll back to him causing the general to growl under his breathe before taking his scroll back.

"For everyone's sake, I hope you're making the right decision," Ironwood responded gruffly to which the headmaster offered no reply as the general entered the elevator leaving Ozpin alone in his office in complete silence with nothing but the gears making any sound.

* * *

Gasping, Lisa's eyes shot open and she sprang up from her bed as she took in quick, frantic breathes and tentatively touched her neck where she felt a medical collar around it. Widening her eyes, Lisa reached up and felt a thick bandage wrapped around her skull causing her to sigh softly and scan her surroundings where she saw her pair of shoes in a chair next to her bed.

" _I'm alive? But how...it's not important. I have to contact Wilma, Lacey, and Tai,"_ Lisa stated as she ignored the agonizing pain and tried to get off her gurney causing the heart monitor next to her bed to go wild which made a nurse, Ruby, and Yang burst into the room.

"Mrs. Lavender, please lie down. You're just going to aggravate your injuries," the nurse concernedly told the reporter who ignored the advice and continued to try to get up only for Yang to tightly grasp Lisa's hospital gown and gently, but firmly push her back down.

"We're not asking you to stop, we're just asking you to slow down, so tell us what you need," Yang calmly told Lisa who weakly grasped the brawler's wrist and attempted to sit up only for Yang's lilac eyes to change to a shade of bright, furious red.

Widening her eyes along with feeling the overwhelming heat of her Yang's semblance, Lisa sighed in defeat and laid back down on the gurney causing the brawler to remove her hand from the reporter's gown, but kept a wary gaze on Lisa just in case she tried anything.

"Can you get me my scroll, please? I want to contact my friends and see if they're okay," Lisa requested causing the blonde brawler's crimson eyes to turn back into a shade of lilac as she walked away to retrieve what the reporter wanted.

"I know you're worried, but Wilma and Lacey are working with Professor Peach, Blake Belladonna, and Weiss Schnee with the former being a professional huntress and the latter being some of the best students we've ever had," the nurse assured Lisa who said nothing as Ruby grabbed a cup of water and put a swirly straw in it before approaching the reporter's bed and extending the cup toward Lisa's mouth.

"Okay, here comes the airship. Neow, neow, neow," Ruby stated while moving the cup in such a way to imitate the flight pattern of an airship causing Lisa to chuckle lowly even though it did hurt her throat as she put her lips on the straw.

"And what about Tai? Who's she with?" Lisa inquired after drinking a gulp of water and shooting the red cloaked a girl a warm, grateful grin, but just as the nurse was about to answer the soldier burst into the room and ran up to Lisa's bed with sweat pouring down her brow.

"Lisa, holy fuck, are you okay?" Tai concernedly asked her friend while taking a seat next to the reporter's bed as Yang walked back into the room and handed Lisa her scroll who nodded in thanks at the blonde brawler.

"Somehow, but I'm more worried about *cough* Wilma and Lacey. Did you hear anything from them?" Lisa questioned the soldier who nodded her head as she leaned forward in her chair and grasped the railing of the reporter's bed.

"They told me everything is quiet and that they're going to visit you as soon as their shift is done," Tai informed the reporter who nodded slowly and winced when her neck flared up in pain where she released a haggard breathe.

"Can you check on them just to make sure?" Lisa requested causing Tai to nod and check on her collapsible swords and pistol before exiting the room as the scroll on the nurse's belt suddenly chimed.

"Ruby, Yang, another patient needs me. I need you two to stay with Lisa for a little bit," the medical practitioner ordered causing Yang to grin and give the nurse a confident thumbs up while Ruby stood up on her tippy toes and held an arm up.

"You can count on us; we'll take good care of her!" Ruby proclaimed enthusiastically causing the nurse to smile ever so slightly before she exited the room causing Ruby to take a seat near Lisa's bed and then invaded Lisa's personal space.

"Soyou'reLisaLavendermynameisRubyRoseandthat'smysisterYangXiaoLongthoughwejustcallherYangoohIheardyoureportedonthemoviesSpruceWilliswasindidyouwanttowatchoneofhismovies-"

"Easy there, little sis; we can't exactly be watching movies when they're assassins on the loose," Yang interrupted her sister's incomprehensible garble with a slight chuckle causing Ruby to pout and slump her shoulders before sticking her tongue out at Yang which made Lisa laugh softly.

"You're sister is right; instead, how about I tell you about the time I interviewed him?" Lisa offered which caused the storm cloud over Ruby's head to clear as her eyes beamed like the sun where she fervently nodded at Lisa's offer with a wide, excited smile.

* * *

"Wilma, slow down. Come on!" Lacey comically whined as she struggled to keep up with her friend who snorted and picked up her pace causing the washout to groan irritably as she had to jog to finally catch up to Wilma.

"Look, you're taking it out of context. We didn't say-"

"What? That I had a stupid crush on the guy who saved my life or that he'd never want to be with someone like me!?" Wilma yelled at Lacey with as much ire as she could muster causing onlookers to widen their eyes, but Lacey simply glared at her friend while tensing the muscles in her tail.

"We'll talk about this when you actually want to listen," Lacey calmly, but sternly stated causing Wilma to grumble and turn back around...only to accidentally bump into someone which made her stagger back while the person, a girl wearing the Atlesian Academy uniform, fell on her bump.

Sighing softly, Wilma glanced at the girl she knocked down, a human, and extended her hand to her while Lacey warily watched on.

"I'm sorry, I should have-"

"Don't touch me, you animal," the girl growled as she roughly swatted Wilma's hand away causing Wilma to recoil and stare at the girl with wide eyes as one of the girl's friends walked up to her and roughly tugged on her antlers causing Wilma to yelp.

"Hey, check it out. These things are actually attached to her he-"

The girl never did get to finish her sentence as she howled in pain when a hard, heavy punch from Lacey knocked her out cold and caused her to hit the ground like sack of potatoes causing the two other bullies to widen their eyes.

"You don't talk or treat my friend like that, understand? Now haul her sorry ass to the infirmary," Lacey snarled as she cracked her knuckles and used her tail to protectively push Wilma behind her while the two bullies hoisted their friend up and glared at Lacey.

"Go back to Menagerie, you freak!" one of the girls shouted at the duo causing Lacey's tail to unfurl as she barred her razor sharp incisors and released a rough, guttural snarl not unlike that of a saltwater crocodile.

"I'm perfectly fine where I am, thanks!" Lacey retorted as she held up both of her middle fingers at the bullies who hurled a stream of racial slurs at the washout who ignored them while Wilma flinched at each and every word.

Trembling and feeling tears welling at her eyes, Wilma's breathed hitched as she stared down at her shoes before jolting as she felt Lacey gently grasp her shoulders causing the girl to look up at her friend with red, teary eyes.

"Are you okay?" Lacey concernedly asked her causing Wilma to shake slightly before taking a deep breathe in and letting it back out where she shook her head.

"N-no; how can they be so mean just because I'm a faunus and how can you be so nice to me after-"

"It's an unfortunate part of life for our kind to suffer abuse wherever we go and one stupid fight isn't worth our friendship," Lacey interrupted her friend causing Wilma to widen her eyes as Lacey pulled her in for a hug which Wilma didn't protest to as they both suddenly heard footsteps approaching them.

"Way to confirm the prejudices that girl already had of faunus," a voice suddenly interjected causing Wilma and Lacey to glance to the side where they saw Blake with a book in hand and Weiss walking right beside her.

"I don't care; people like her don't listen to reason so that was the only way to get her to stop," Lacey countered causing Blake to snort while Weiss gazed at the duo with her eyes narrowed which made Wilma avert her gaze downward.

"What are you two doing here anyway?" Weiss questioned them causing Wilma to say nothing while Lacey scoffed and folded her arms as she returned the glare the heiress was giving them.

"None of your business, your bitchiness," Lacey snarled causing Wilma to put a palm over her face while Weiss jolted, but before the heiress could retaliate Wilma tightly clasped her friend's shoulder and tugged her back.

"Lacey, we're going to be here for a while so could you at least try to be friendly?" Wilma requested in a still shaken voice causing the failed huntress to grumble as Weiss regained her composure and folded her arms.

"Thank you for showing that you're the only one with manners, Wilma. Now I ask again, what are you two doing here?" Weiss asked once more in a calmer, but no less assertive tone of voice causing Lacey to snort and fold her arms while Wilma released a breathe and rubbed the back of her head.

"Well, we're employees at Beacon for now and we're going to help Ozpin in a mission of his later on," Wilma answered causing Weiss to raise a brow while Blake, who had remained silent for most of the exchange, suddenly stepped toward the duo with her yellow, predatory eyes set squarely on Wilma.

"What kind of mission?" Blake questioned bluntly causing Wilma to nervously glance at Lacey who shook her head which made the former White Fang soldier sigh softly and grasp her arm.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know you well enough to answer that," Wilma responded causing Blake to narrow her eyes at Wilma who desperately hoped Blake would drop the subject as Lacey suddenly patted her shoulder and gestured down the hall which made Wilma mentally sigh in relief.

"It was nice talking to you guys, but we have to go to Professor Peach's workshop," Wilma told the two huntress's, but as she was following her friend, she saw Blake and Weiss walking in the same direction they were in causing her to raise a brow.

"Um...why are you following-"

"We aren't, we were on our way to see Professor Peach too," Blake coolly interrupted causing Lacey to throw her head back and mirthlessly chuckle which made Blake and Weiss narrow their eyes at the failed huntress.

"Well, this will be fun," Lacey quipped as she saw Wilma was still a bit shaken up from the earlier encounter causing her to walk beside her friend and send death glares at anyone whom she thought wanted to cause trouble.

With that, the odd group of four walked towards the workshop in complete silence as Wilma saw out of the corner of her eye that Weiss would glance at her every now and then before the heiress sighed and addressed her.

"Is your antler okay?" Weiss suddenly asked causing Lacey to narrow her eyes at the heiress, but said nothing as Wilma blinked confusedly and opened her mouth, but no sound came out which made her bashfully nod instead.

"Y-yeah, i-it's fine. Um...thank you for asking," Wilma awkwardly responded with a timid grin which made Weiss smile ever so slightly before it disappeared behind a cool, focused stare as she put a hand on her hip.

"Well, good. If it wasn't, I would have given those girls a piece of my mind," Weiss stated in the hopes that it would at least break some of the tension and mentally sighed in relief when Wilma chuckled.

"Lacey had it covered, but I appreciate the thought," Wilma responded causing Weiss to huff as she brushed her hair back and pointed a finger at the girl.

"You're welcome, but you'd better not think that all humans are like those girls," Weiss stated haughtily which made Blake smile proudly while Wilma grinned and nodded as Lacey suddenly snorted causing all three of the girls to glance at her.

"Yeah, they're worse," Lacey cut in causing Blake to glare at the failed huntress while Weiss glowered at Lacey with a gaze that could kill many times over, yet Wilma merely raised a brow and tilted her head.

"I don't know what you've been hearing, but that's not true at all. If you'd actually open your eyes, you'd see that mostly everyone here at Beacon wants to make life better for everyone, faunus included, like me," Weiss retorted passionately which made a smile tug at the corner of Blake's lips, but Lacey merely sneered and folded her arms while unconsciously thrashing her tail about.

"The key word is mostly, and some humans will never see us as equals, no matter what we or the huntsman do. The Great War and the Faunus Civil Rights War are prime examples of that," Lacey shot back with equal vehemence causing Weiss to open her mouth to counter, but begrudgingly closed it when nothing came to mind.

With that being said, the group of four continued to walk in silence down the hall as Ciel, Penny, and Neon continued to trail them as the time keeper set her scroll down at low volume and plugged in her earphones.

"If the targets get attacked by assassins, you are to subdue the assailants and bring them in if you can, but don't put yourself in unnecessary danger if you can't," Ironwood ordered the time keeper who voiced her affirmative as she gestured to the left while making sure the visor of her cap covered her eyes.

"Understood, should we get a squad of AK-200s to back us up just in case?" Ciel inquired and just for an extremely brief moment, the time keeper saw the general recoil before regaining his composure and clearing his throat.

"N-no, there's a...minor problem with them that I want to rectify before we put them back into the field," Ironwood responded causing Ciel to raise a brow while Neon laughed obnoxiously which made the time keeper glare at the cat girl who put a hand over her mouth as the Ciel dutifully nodded.

"Copy, Ciel out," the prodigy saidd causing Ironwood to nod curtly as he shut off communications with them as Ciel glowered at Neon who innocently held her hands up with a sly smirk and her tail perked up.

"Could you be any less professional?" Ciel snarled at her comrade causing Neon to vigorously nod which made the time keeper pinch the bridge of her nose as Neon stifled her laughter and put a hand on her hip.

"I'm just saying it doesn't surprise me that there's problems with the new combat drones. I mean, come on; all of them are linked to a central mainframe? That's just asking for our enemies to hack us or upload a virus that would cripple one of our main fighting forces in no time at all," Neon explained causing Ciel to open her mouth to retort, but closed it when she couldn't come up with a reply.

"Let's go before we lose track of them," the time keeper said in a much calmer, but gruffer tone of voice as she resumed walking down the hall causing Penny to follow her while Neon walked beside the prodigy with her hand behind her head.

"Was Lacey your friend, Mrs. Soleil and Mrs. Katt?" Penny inquired causing Ciel to give a barely noticeable nod in response while Neon immediately nodded as the time keeper motioned for them to follow her down another hallway.

"She was," was the time keeper's short answer which made Penny's curious gaze turn into a frown while Neon lost her usual hyper, upbeat expression and replaced it an irritated, frustrated scowl.

"She still is," Neon answered with a slight growl not unlike that of a mountain lion as Ciel motioned for her comrades to hold position as they saw Wilma, Lacey, Blake, and Weiss enter a workshop with lots of heavy machinery.

"Okay Penny, since Lacey would know something is up if Neon or I were there, you're going to have to be our eyes and ears. Just act like you usually do, stay focused on the volunteer work, and don't arouse any suspicion; we'll be in contact if you need help," Ciel assured her partner as she stuck a communication device into Penny's ear causing the orange haired girl to practically bounce on her toes before standing at attention.

"Worry not, Mrs. Soleil! I shall carry out this mission with the utmost proficiency!" Penny responded determinedly which made a smile tug at the corner of Ciel's lips as Penny began walking toward the workshop before Neon suddenly stood toe-to-toe with the time keeper.

"Lacey would be happy to see us, Ciel," Neon admonished her friend while jabbing a finger onto the time keeper's shoulder which made Ciel narrow her eyes at the cat girl before releasing a breathe and gently pushing away Neon's hand.

"Let's just get on the roof adjacent to the workshop so we can get a better view," Ciel replied in a tone barely above a whisper causing Neon to snort and shake her head before following the time keeper and double checking if she had put dust within her tabak-toyoks.


	21. Chapter 21 From Bad to Worse

Ch. 21

From Bad to Worse

 _RWBY is the property of its respective owners, Ocs belong to me_

Cursing as her spider tank drone was blown to smithereens, Ebony dove behind cover and scanned the battlefield where she sighed in relief when she saw Commander Vickers and Jin beckoning more of Sienna's loyalists up the ramp. Nodding as Deshret knelt down next to her, Ebony cycled the dust crystal within her arm cannon to air dust and shot a downed soldier loyal to Sienna. Crying out, the soldier was catapulted across the ground like a stone hopping across the pond where he landed near Sienna's loyalists bruised, but nonetheless alive.

"We should probably help capture any remaining dissidents so we don't arouse further suspicion," Deshret suggested which made Ebony grumble as she saw Jin reluctantly taking off while Commander Vickers and the remaining loyalists held off Adam's forces as best they could.

"I've got a better idea," Ebony responded causing Deshret to raise a brow as the airship departed from Mountain Glenn while Adam and his forces approached the surrounded loyalists along with the duo.

"You shouldn't have stuck your nose where it didn't belong, Commander," Adam growled as he pointed Blush at Vickers who aimed his pistols back at him while Adolf revved his chainsaw up and took a threatening step toward his enemies.

"How could you, Adam? My baby brother fought tooth and nail for the cause and you...you threw him to the wolves because he cared for his troops!?" Vickers roared which made the Crimson Scourge snort derisively as Vickers along with what remained of his forces readied themselves for what was most likely their last stand.

"Your brother cared too much about his men which is why he had to be sacrificed for the greater good. In fact, from now on, we're killing any soldiers who show remorse or mercy to our enemies; we don't want them to become like Blake, your brother, Tukson, or Sergeant Lacey's squad," Adam proclaimed which made some of his men widen their eyes and nervously glance at one another while Vickers bared his teeth.

"Alright, that's enough!" Ebony shouted as she pushed Adolf out of the way and stood in the middle of the opposing groups with Deshret right beside her which made Vickers warily stare at Ebony.

"What are you-"

"Following orders; Adam, Adolf, you and your lackeys are under arrest. Come quietly and maybe you'll just spend the rest of your life in a cell," Ebony quipped causing some of the soldiers on Adam's side to look at one another before joining Commander Vickers and the other loyalists.

"You and Blake are nothing but soft-hearted traitors!" Adam growled which made the Elite White Fang soldier roll her eyes before aiming her arm cannon at him causing Adolf to protectively step in front of his leader.

"I'm loyal to the White Fang, not to you," Ebony retorted as she scrunched her brow causing a ballistic forearm blade to jut past her arm cannon.

"Whoa, whoa! Save your territorial disputes for later; we have a schedule-"

Roman Torchwick started to say until Deshret seemingly teleported in front of him and grabbed his head where she brutally smashed his head against the wall with a sickening crack causing the criminal to howl in pain and slump to his knees. Binding Roman with spare chains she had on her person, Deshret dragged him by his hair toward Ebony all while the criminal kept shouting at the conqueror to get her filthy hands off of him.

"Oh, his aura prevented him from having a broken face...disappointing," Ebony mused as she looked at Deshret and gestured at Adam causing the conqueror to unceremoniously toss Roman at the Crimson Scourge's feet like he was a sack of potatoes.

"Adam, if there's _any_ good left in your sad, pathetic heart, order your men to stand down. Not for me, but for Blake; we both let her down so let's try not to add anymore disappointments to-"

"Kill them all!" Adam roared causing adrenaline to immediately pump through Ebony's body like a raging river which made time seemingly slow down for her as she picked out her targets nigh instantaneously.

Like a gunslinger on the quickdraw, Ebony raised her arm cannon and fired off several quick, powerful shots which pierced through the heads of most of the opposing elite soldiers, impacted the mechanism on Adolf's chainsaw which rendered the weapon inert, and struck Adam's hand making the folk hero scream as Wilt was knocked from his hand. Gritting his teeth, Adam fired with impunity at the perceived traitors while Adolf brought his inert weapon up to block a savage punch from Deshret only for the conqueror's gauntlet to break through his weapon and strike his sternum.

Retching, Adolf stumbled back and tightly clutched his gut as he ineffectively swiped at Deshret's head with a wild haymaker, but the conqueror dodged the blow with ease and struck the side of his head with a swift, vicious kick. Had his aura not been up, Adolf's head might have been caved in, but that didn't mean he wasn't harmed as his head violently snapped to the side which made him brutally hit the ground where one of his eyes was completely swollen shut and half of his face was heavily bruised.

"Adam, get out of here! Go!" Adolf shouted as Deshret punched the back of his head causing the lieutenant's face to depress into the ground before the conqueror bound his arms and legs with more spare chains.

"No, we can still win this!" Adam roared as he picked up Wilt and charged at Ebony with reckless abandon causing the lower ranked soldiers who sided with the loyalits to form a wall in front of her and fire at him.

Their actions, however, were for naught as the Crimson Scourge deflected and batted away the projectiles while absorbing the energy behind them and in an instant, he closed the gap between them. With the seams of his clothes glowing crimson, he unleashed his semblance on the hapless soldiers where they were cleaved in half with a swift, powerful slash which blanketed the battlefield in blood and guts. Readying herself, Ebony sidestepped the downward slash at the crown of her skull and thrust her forearm blade towards Adam's ribs only for the Crimson Scourge to swat the blow aside and plant his steel toed boot against her sternum. Grunting, Ebony swiped upward as she hobbled back eliciting a cry from Adam as the blow lightly cut his shoulder, but didn't penetrate his flesh thanks to his aura.

"Damn it, Adam; listen to me! If you get captured, the White Fang dies with you!" Adolf begged, but his pleas fell on deaf ears as Adam attacked Ebony with horizontal swipe at her belly, a powerful thrust at her thigh, and a vertical slash at her head.

Gnashing her teeth, Ebony barely managed to dodge the first blow, but didn't escape unscathed as a long, superficial cut formed on her gut causing her to stagger back. Fighting through the pain, she swatted at the thrust to her thigh, but the blade still grazed her leg and cut deeper than she expected. Cursing, Ebony collapsed on her knees as the Crimson Scourge brought his sword down for the finishing blow as the soldier parried the blow as best she could. Hearing Ebony howl in pain, Deshret turned her head just as she subdued another of Adam's followers and widened her eyes when she saw one of Ebony's mandibles, a part of her ear, and a chunk of her scalp lying on the floor in a bloodied heap. However, Ebony just chuckled darkly as she grabbed the muzzle of Blush and yanked it downwards which made the discharge of bullets impact the ground instead of her head. Punching Adam in the knee while using her hips for momentum, the folk hero howled and stumbled back while clutching his leg as Ebony climbed to her feet.

"Got me good, boy," Ebony purred as she ignored the fountain of blood pouring down her face causing Adam to fire off more shots from Blush which the soldier blocked by her lifting her arm cannon in front of her.

"That's it, come here. I've got something special for you," Ebony silently beckoned as Adam closed the distance between them and wildly slashed at her collar bone causing a surge of adrenaline to pump through her veins which made time slow down for her.

Dipping to the side, Ebony gnashed her teeth as she still suffered a vicious cut stretching from her clavicle down to her gut, but managed to trap Adam's arms underneath her armpits just like she intended. Stomping on his foot, she forced as much of her weight down on him as she could and focused causing her forearm blade to eject from her arm cannon and into Adam's ribs like a knife through hot butter. Screaming, Adam glowered at his former subordinate and spat a glob of blood onto her face which made Ebony, with her last ounce of strength, to rear her head back and slam her forehead against his skull with a sickening crack. Howling in a mixture of raw fury and pain, Adam collapsed on the ground while clutching his ribs as Ebony crumpled to the floor where she lay still with the rising and falling of her chest being the only indicator that she was still alive. Snarling like a rabid dog, Adam pulled himself to his feet and tightly clutched his sword where he advanced on Ebony and viciously kicked her head like ball causing the Ebony's cheekbone to break.

Turning her head, Ebony refused to look away as Adam swiped at her neck with Wilt, but widened her eyes when Commander Vickers suddenly blocked the blow with the trigger guards of his pistols. Briefly stunned, Adam bared his teeth and shoved the commander away as he discharged several rounds at Vickers with Blush while charging at him. Keeping his cool, Vickers returned fire with one his pistols while using the butt of the other one to bash the bullets away as Adam unleashed his semblance, but the commander rolled backward just in time causing the cut to hit nothing but empty air. However, one of his pistols was cut in half causing him to discard the now useless weapon and duck underneath a swipe at his neck where he grasped Adam's wrist and painfully twisted it forcing Adam to release his grip on Blush. Roaring, Adam kicked the side of Vickers' knee which forced the commander onto the ground and then plunged Wilt through his spine with a sick, gut wrenching squelch which made Vickers gasp as his pistol fell from his hand.

"You should have...taken away my sword first," Adam snarled as he slowly twisted his blade causing Vickers to whimper as he coughed up a copious amount of blood onto the ground before going limp which made the Crimson Scourge contemptuously kick the corpse off his chokuto.

Seeing Deshret charging toward him, the Crimson Scourge readied himself only to see the conqueror pull back and yank some of the loyalists away with her chained gauntlet as a multitude of rpgs rained down on them. Shielding his face with his forearm as a cloud of dust was kicked up, Adam saw one of his troops beckoning him to follow her out of the corner of his eye. Growling lowly, the Crimson Scourge begrudgingly did so, but not before telling Adolf he would come back for him as neither Adam or his men were there once the dust cloud settled.

"Finding him will have to wait," the conqueror murmured as she knelt down next to Vickers' corpse and closed his eyelids before approaching Ebony where she saw the bloodied remains of the some of the soldiers whom she wasn't able to pull out of the way.

Flesh, organs, and limbs lay scattered around the floor causing the conqueror to grimace as she knelt down next to Ebony who was going about cleaning her injuries. Cursing loudly as she applied disinfectant on her wounds, the conqueror helped by wrapping gauze around Ebony's face, arm, and shoulder which made her friend mumble a thanks.

"So, what do we do now?" Deshret inquired as she applied pressure on the gaping hole where one of Ebony's beetle like mandibles once was before putting gauze on the wound causing the soldier to wince.

"Give everyone their marching orders," Ebony responded as she sucked in a breathe and tried not to convey she was in any pain despite half her face being wrapped up like a mummy and stood atop a chunk of debris.

"Alright, everyone listen up!" the soldier shouted which caused the remaining dissidents to stop what they were doing and stare at Ebony with a myriad of expressions.

"Shit has long since hit the fan so we have to act fast before any Grimm arrive. First, destroy the tracks so the benefactor can't use them to blow a hole in the heart of Vale and second, grab what you can carry and get one of the airships. Lastly, destroy what we can't carry so the next guys the benefactor sends in can't use our gear," Ebony ordered causing the dissidents to dutifully nod and go about completing their duties as the soldier stepped down from the rubble and stared at Vickers' corpse with her eyes downcast.

"First Sergeant Vickers, then Commander Tukson, and now Commander Vickers. How many more people are going to die because of Cinder?" Ebony wondered as she fondly patted Vickers' shoulder before hoisting his corpse onto her shoulder and placing him on a bonfire the loyalists made.

"Too many," Deshret answered with her voice barely above a whisper as she helped carry crates of ammo and rifles up the ramp into the airship where she stared at the soldier who raised a brow.

"Are you going to head back to Mistral with the others?" Deshret asked causing the soldier to shake her head making the conqueror tilt her head, but say nothing as she continued to move things into the aircraft.

"No, Adam is still out there so I'm going to make sure his rot doesn't spread anymore than it already has. Since I at least know Cinder's somewhere in Vale and that Adam is going to run to her with his tail between his legs, I'm going head into the city and see if I can pick up the fire bitch's trail," Ebony explained while moving more gear onto the airship and piling more bodies onto the bonfire causing the conqueror to nod as she picked up Torchwick and Adolf by the scruffs of their collars.

"If you're heading into the city, I'll go with you. I have matters to attend to in Vale as well," Deshret said while chucking the duo into a cargo container where she shut the door and welded the locks shut before poking air holes into the walls.

"What's so important that you're going to come with my dumbass? I mean, let's not kid ourselves; the White Fang is pretty much done for. The article Lisa published made sure that every faunus under the sun are going to steer clear of the White Fang and the huntsman along with the Kingdom's paramilitary groups have seized most of our bases. It's only a matter of time until we're all killed and given the hell we raised, that's what we deserve," Ebony remarked which made the conqueror say nothing as she picked up the cargo container and attached it to the bottom of a bullhead.

"Well, you don't have to have to suffer that fate. You can help me take over Vacuo; I promise I'll treat you better than Adam did and compensate you handsomely," Deshret offered causing a warm grin to tug at Ebony's lips before it disappeared behind a resigned, solemn gaze.

"I was there when the White Fang was just a peace movement so it's only fitting I'm there at the end for what its become," Ebony responded which made the conqueror sadly sigh, but nevertheless nodded as she continued to help the loyalists.

"I understand," Deshret stated as she approached the bonfire for their fallen comrades and dipped her head while Ebony limped toward the pyre and folded her arms.

"Of dust we are created," Deshret began as she stuck her hand into the open flames and set the appendage ablaze speeding the cremation process up dramatically.

"And of dust we shall return," Ebony finished in a tone barely above a whisper as she watched the ashes of her comrades and Commander Vickers scatter into the wind where unbeknownst to them, a young Nevermore managed to see the entire situation.

Cawing, the bird flew from it's perch and headed out of the caverns in order to tell the Nuckelavee and by proxy, Salem of this new development.

* * *

"What do you mean Neo's dead!?" Cinder nearly roared, but kept her voice even as she continued to keep an eye on the two Atlesian huntresses on an adjacent building.

"We mean we saw her body getting carted off to the morgue by some tin men while on our way to our targets," Mercury retorted causing the Fall Maiden to furrow her brow and put a hand on her chin as she mulled over this information before she saw that she had another call from her master.

"Continue as planned, but keep in mind that you don't have Neo to help with your escape," Cinder ordered causing her two subordinates to voice their affirmative as the Fall Maiden ended the call and answered the other one.

"Mistress, to what do I owe-"

"Are you aware that Adam has completely lost control of his soldiers and is now on the run?" Salem interrupted which made the Fall Maiden's blood go cold as she tried to keep her cool and stuttered out a response.

"N-no, mistress. Rest assured, I will do my best to rectify-"

"It's too late to fix this, Cinder. I'll have Tyrian take care of Sienna and her loyalists in Mistral, have Hazel bring back Adam and any of his remaining followers back to your fold, and have Watts send over some...tweaked AK-200s to make up for the loss of manpower," Salem sharply cut off her protege which made Cinder indignantly scoff and ball her hand into a fist.

"Mistress, I took every precaution I could think of! I swear to you!" Cinder pleaded which made Salem snort causing the Fall Maiden to unconsciously shrink down as if her mistress was looming over her like a monster about to devour her.

"I believe you, but often times it's the disregarded threats, the loose ends, that make plans come undone and from what I've seen, you've left far too many. Tell me why Ebony, Deshret, Lacey, Gates, Wilma, Ashanti, and most importantly, Team RWBY have not been taken care of already," Salem demanded in a deathly calm voice which made the Fall Maiden unconsciously swallow as she felt beads of sweat pouring down her brow.

"Because I believed they weren't worth-"

"Stop, that's the problem. In your arrogance, you believed that because of your power, they weren't a threat, but as recent events have shown, that is decidedly not the case. Not only have those White Fang members subverted control from you and sowed even more distrust among the Faunus, but Team RWBY continues to hinder your plans...and you do nothing to stop them," the Mistress of Grimm interrupted yet again which made Cinder grumble and bow her head as she could practically feel Salem glaring daggers at her.

"However...the situation is still salvageable. Think Cinder, where are you right now and what people are you surrounded by?" Salem inquired in a much calmer, almost motherly tone which made the Fall Maiden confusedly look off to the side as if she would find her answer there.

"Huntsman, mistress," Cinder answered while continuing to keep her head down though the Fall Maiden wondered where exactly her master was going with this.

"Precisely, and you remember those glove I gifted to you so you could steal Amber's powers? You can also use them to exert your will over others...provided your own is strong enough," the Mistress of Grimm explained which made the Fall Maiden widen her eyes and feel her breathe hitch as an entire pile of white gloves with Salem's symbol appeared next to Cinder.

"Ironwood can keep his precious androids and the White Fang is no longer of any use; you are sitting on a much bigger prize," Salem advised sagely which made Cinder nearly break out into a grin, but instead sighed in relief and thanked her mistress as Salem ended the call.

" _Since those two Atlesian huntresses haven't moved yet, it would be a good time to go for a test run,"_ the Fall Maiden mused as she put on of the seemingly dainty white gloves and put the rest in her bag before scanning the area for potential guinea pigs where she saw Team NDGO walking around the courtyard.

Making sure no one else was around, Cinder silently jumped down onto the ground and crept up to the huntresses where she held up her arm causing the same bug like Grimm to emerge and spit a black, sticky substance which latched onto the back of Team NDGO's heads. Immediately, the merry making the huntress team was having stopped as they all cried out and clutched their heads as they felt as if something was burrowing deep into their skulls.

" _Hmm, I was only trying to get one of them, but this is even better,"_ Cinder thought to herself only to feel a sudden whiplash as the four huntresses tried to fight off the Fall Maiden's influence, but Cinder, after regaining her bearings, exerted her control over them with some difficulty.

Raising a brow as she saw the same tattoo she had appear on the back of the huntress' necks, she then nodded in approval when it suddenly faded away like disappearing ink.

" _Smart; leaving the tattoo unattended would only arouse suspicion,"_ the Fall Maiden judged as the four huntresses turned battle slaves knelt before Cinder with their eyes glazed over which made the fire witch smirk.

"What do you want us to do, master?" Nebula inquired causing the Fall Maiden to jump back onto the roof where her four slaves followed her and stood at attention.

"There's these two Atlesian huntresses who're sticking their noses where they don't belong, two huntresses who continue to hinder my plans, and two White Fang soldiers who've proven to be more of a threat than anticipated. You're going to help me take care of them and after the fact, you're to resume your lives while helping me bring others to the fold when the opportunity presents itself," Cinder ordered causing the slaves to nod as the Fall Maiden burnt the patch of ground in front of her and formed new dark grey clothing and masks for her slaves from the fiery shards.

"Dew and Nebula, yes? Wait for my subordinates to attack and then assist them in eliminating the defectors and the impetuous huntresses. Octavia and Gwen; you are to assist me in taking out the interlopers," Cinder proclaimed as she set the ground behind her ablaze and formed weaponry for the slaves from the charred debris causing the slaves to give a zombie like nod and get in position to carry out their orders.

* * *

Entering the workshop, the odd group of Wilma, Lacey, Weiss, and Blake found themselves confronted with a myriad of machinery with some of the engineers welding away at various aircrafts while others meticulously tended to weaponry intended to be shipped out to the Valean Militia.

"Blake, Weiss, so good to see you. And you young ladies must be Wilma and Lacey," an engineer cordially stated causing Wilma to look in the direction of the voice and saw an engineer with short, pink hair tied back into braid walking toward them with an air of nobility.

"Hello, Professor; what is it that you need us to do?" Weiss asked while giving a polite curtsy to the woman while Wilma nervously waved at the Huntress who put a hand on her hip and tapped her chin.

"Blake, Lacey, since you both are familiar with zip guns given your experience surviving outside of the Kingdoms, you're going to help make the firearms we ship out. You'll find the instructions on your table," the Huntress stated while pointing at a table with various parts scattered around it causing the heiress and the ex-huntress to glare at each other before walking over to the table.

"Weiss, since you're skilled in dust usage, and Wilma, since you can follow directions well, you're going to help craft dust bullets. You'll also find the instructions on your table," Professor Peach commented while gesturing at a table off to the side causing the heiress to dutifully nod and beckon Wilma to come along.

The girl from Menagerie sighed and followed the heiress where she along with Weisss grabbed the pamphlets showing how to assemble the projectiles with comic book like instructions. Both meticulously read through the instructions several times before they were absolutely sure they committed the information to memory as Wilma began crafting the projectiles exactly how the instructions showed her. Weiss, however, made tweaks to the design such as using more concentrated amounts of powdered dust to give the bullets more power and using a bit of air dust as a stabilizer.

"So, how was it being in the-wait. Is that...Penny?" Weiss said which made Wilma look toward the entrance and immediately, she felt her breathe hitch and a cold chill go up her spine as she saw the same orange haired, bow wearing girl from the docks entering the workshop.

"Salutations, Professor Peach!" Penny proclaimed while waving at the instructor as Lacey had a similar reaction to Wilma in that she was trembling and warily watching Penny's every move like a hawk.

"Ah, Penny! To what do I owe the pleasure?" Professor Peach inquired while mentally noting Wilma and Lacey's terrified reactions causing the Atlesian huntress to stand at attention and salute her.

"Mrs. Soleil asked me to come here and sp-"

" _Penny, shush! Just ask her if she needs help!"_ Ciel growled into the communication device in Penny's ear which made the orange haired girl shut her mouth.

"Disregard the statement from earlier; what I actually meant to say is that do you require any assistance?" Penny restated while letting out a hiccup causing Ciel, from her vantage point on the roof, to groan and slap her forehead with her palm.

"Well, I'm not one to turn down help so sure; you think you can help my engineers and I with the aircrafts?" Professor Peach questioned which made Penny eagerly nod as she followed the instructor while Lacey growled lowly as she continued to assemble the rifles like she was back in training at Mantle.

" _So that's how it is, huh Ciel?"_ Lacey mused as she made sure to keep an eye on Penny while Wilma tried her best focus on her work, but unconsciously shook whenever the orange haired girl seemed to be getting too close for comfort.

"Are you okay?" Weiss asked which made Wilma nod as she took a deep breathe in and let it back out before looking up at the heiress.

"I'll be fine, it's just that girl is...something else. She didn't kill anyone, but she tore through my team and the other White Fang soldiers like a hurricane, cut bullheads clean in half with a laser beam, or yanked them out of the sky. Power like that...she's practically a maiden," Wilma breathed out with an incredulous shake of her head which made Weiss tilt her head and spare a glance at Penny who was tending to the various aircrafts in the hangar.

"If you say so," the heiress responded while forging more bullets before she pursed her lips and sighed heavily before staring at Wilma who raised a brow.

"Wilma, I have a question to ask. When you were in the White Fang, did you happen to see a woman with mandibles on the side of her face? You know, like a beetle?" Weiss inquired which made Wilma put a hand on her chin and think back to the people she saw in Mountain Glenn before shaking her head.

"No, sorry; she did something to you, didn't she?" Wilma replied which made the heiress narrow her eyes and give a barely noticeable nod in response.

"Every time prominent employees of the SDC or any of my relatives would go missing, get kidnapped, or worse, she was always there leading the other soldiers," Weiss answered while balling her hands into fists as the sounds of gunfire and screams echoed throughout her head causing the heiress to ground her teeth.

"If anyone knows about her, it's probably Lacey or at the very least, she heard some asinine rumors about her. I know you two don't get along so I can ask her if you want," Wilma offered which made the heiress smile ever so slightly, but shook her head.

"I appreciate that, but I'll talk to her myself. I'm sure we would both agree that someone like Ebony needs to face the full extent of the law," the heiress declared before discreetly glancing at Lacey to make sure she wasn't looking at them before clearing her throat.

"Wilma, is Lacey nice to you? I know she protected you from those girls, but if she only does it when you need it and considering how she acts toward Blake and I-"

"She is; look, not being able to accomplish her dream because of some stupid rules really messed up her perception of the world. To cope, she's pretending to hate all humans so she has something to take her rage out on even though she doesn't have a problem with Mrs. Lavender or Mrs. Nguyen, tried to see if anyone needed help the night we met, and risked her life to tell Mrs. Lavender important info on the White Fang," Wilma explained causing Weiss to snort as although she wouldn't say it aloud, how Lacey viewed humans wasn't too different from how she used to see faunus.

"I'm not asking you to cut her some slack, I'm just asking you to understand," Wilma requested which made Weiss scoff begrudgingly nodded which made Wilma mentally sigh in relief as she got back to work.

Unknown to her, Mercury and Emerald, decked out in White Fang regalia, got into position above them on the elevated walkway.

" _Thanks to some new developments, some help is being sent your way, but I sincerely hope you won't need it. Start the mission and don't disappoint me,"_ Cinder ordered her subordinates causing the silver haired assassin bend forward like a predator on the hunt while Emerald slipped on the Grimm mask and tightened her grip on her weapons.

"We won't let you down, ma'am," Emerald assured the Fall Maiden who grunted before ending the call as Mercury put on his Grimm mask and tapped the communication device in his ears.

"We're ready; trap the rats in their hole," the silver haired assassin ordered the janitor Cinder paid off causing blast doors to suddenly come crashing down in the workshop which separated Professor Peach and Penny from Weiss, Blake, Wilma, and Lacey.

Smirking at the girl's confusion, Mercury lifted his feet and kicked the air causing two bullets to fly out of his boots and impact the hinges of the elevated walkway sending it crashing down like a meteor.

"Wilma!" Weiss shouted as she used her black glyph to pull the girl toward her while Lacey had enough time to flip the table which pushed Blake to safety, but as a consequence the full weight of the catwalk landed on top of her with a sickening crack.

Howling in agony, Lacey felt more than her aura break as she coughed up a glob of blood and wriggled around only to whimper when that caused more of her bones to break like glass. Before any of the girls could offer assistance, Weiss suddenly erected a barrier which blocked a volley of bullets being as two White Fang assassins landed on the ground and surged toward them.

"Wilma, hide! Blake and I will take care of this!" Weiss ordered as she furiously scanned the area for something akin to her rapier and picked up a fallen pipe where she used it to parry a bullet careening toward her forehead.

"No, I can fight too!" Wilma protested as Lacey managed to free one of her hands and called out to Blake where she tossed a monkey wrench at the bookworm's feet causing Blake to pick up the tool and use it swat at a bullet heading toward her heart.

"You'll just in get in the way!" Blake yelled as she assured Lacey they would free her once the assassins were taken care of before leaping into battle with Weiss in tow causing Wilma to indignantly huff.

Grumbling, the girl from Menagerie rushed over to Lacey and put her hands underneath the elevated walkway.

"Lacey, you're going to have to help me lift this, okay?" Wilma asked which made the ex-huntress weakly nod as she along with Wilma began lifting the walkway and after a moment, they pushed it aside where it hit the ground with a mighty thud.

"It's going to be okay, Lacey. We're going to get you help and-"

Wilma began to say only to widen her eyes and yank her friend to the side as two crossbow bolts collided against the wall where they once were and exploded violently sending the two young women flying. Ignoring the fact that she felt as if a car ran over her spine, Wilma grabbed Lacey and scrambled for cover just as another hailstorm of arrows hurtled toward them which burst like bombs as two women wearing dark grey clothing and wearing masks one would see at a masquerade ball landed in front of them. Gritting her teeth, Wilma barely managed to pull herself along with Lacey out of the way of a crossbow bolt which would have nailed her right between the eyes, but she wasn't fast enough to dodge the dust devil which sucked her in. Gasping for air, the girl from Menagerie tightly clutched her throat as the mini tornado would have also rended her flesh had it not been for aura remaining resolute despite taking a beating. Gnashing her teeth, Lacey tightly wrapped her arms around Wilma's waist and with herculean effort, yanked them both out of the tornado just as an arrow struck tornado causing yet another deafening explosion which sent them violently tumbling across the ground.

Retching up a mixture of bile and blood, Lacey fought through the pain and grabbed a handful of the bullets Weiss and Wilma made. Concentrating on the dust within them, a beam mixed with the different elements hurtled at the battle slaves like a cannonball, but all they did was blankly stare at the incoming attack. At the last second, Dew and Nebula jumped away from the salvo which impacted the ground and caused a powerful shockwave to travel across the battlefield which blew the slaves back slightly.

"Weiss, Blake, we need help! I can't keep this up!" Lacey pleaded as she discarded the now useless casing and concentrated on another handful which made another powerful discharge of dust to hurtle at the battle slaves.

Gritting her teeth, Weiss spared a quick glance at the duo and was horrified to see that even though her aura hadn't shattered, Wilma was still unconscious with a nasty bruise on her forehead and brutal blackeye. Placing her friend behind her, Lacey did her best to keep Dew and Nebula at bay, but everyone could see that her second wind was quickly fading. Dancing away from a swipe at her feet from her opponent's chained kama which intended to trip her, Weiss closed her eyes and concentrated. True, she still hadn't gotten summoning down to pat, but the incomplete process had its uses. When an armored limb jutted out of one of the glyphs, it suddenly burst apart into a fine, white powder which blanketed the battlefield and obscured everyone's vision. Taking advantage of this, Weiss formed a barrier around the hapless duo before crying out as a chained kama struck the side of her head making her stagger to the side.

"Agh...fuck, I hope this holds," Lacey gasped as Dew and Nebula advanced on the barrier causing Lacey to nervously grit her teeth before Mercury called out to them.

"Forget about them! Help us kill the huntresses first!" Mercury shouted as brought his armored forearm up which stopped the monkey wrench being swung at his head, but cursed as Blake kneed him in the crotch which made him double over.

Abandoning their quarry, Nebula pointed at Weiss which made Dew nod as she sent dust devils Weiss's way while Nebula took aim and fired at Blake whenever she was trying to block or press the advantage. Gritting her teeth, Weiss conjured glyphs around the area and sped toward each of them to avoid the tornadoes only to widen her eyes when Dew suddenly intercepted her and slashed at her head. Staying calm, Weiss parried the blow off to the side, but didn't expect for Dew to use her off hand to slug her across the face. While Dew was certainly no Yang Xiao Long, the blow still made Weiss yelp as her head snapped to the side and her grip on her improvised weapon loosened. Taking full advantage of this, the slave grasped Weiss's wrist and brutally twisted it making the heiress cry out as her weapon clattered to the ground.

Gritting her teeth, Weiss trapped Dew's arm in a glyph and planted her feet against the slave's chest where she kicked off of her causing Dew to stumble backwards as the heiress weaved around gunfire from Emerald. Conjuring a gigantic black glyph behind her which sucked debris toward her, Weiss saw Dew shatter the glyph binding her arm and charge at her out of the corner of her eye. Thrusting her hand at Dew, a light blue glyph impacted the slave's chest which sent the slave sliding across the floor where she hit the wall at high speeds and grumbled. Using a white glyph to shield herself from additional gunfire and any swings from her opponent's chained kama attempting to go around the barrier, the large black glyph suddenly turned into a light blue one which sent the debris hurtling toward Emerald like a swarm of missiles. Jumping away from the first volley, Emerald had to curl up into a ball to shield herself from the next one similar to the time where she fought the previous Fall Maiden.

Yelping as the rubble crashed into her, the thief felt as if she was repeatedly being struck a sledgehammer all over her body and fell to the ground in a daze. Weiss, however, couldn't press the attack as Dew was suddenly right in front of her causing the heiress, out of sheer desperation, to punch the the slave in the nose with technique she hoped was similar to Yang's, but all it did was give Dew something to grab onto. Faster than Weiss expected, Dew hooked her arm underneath the limb and forcefully yanked it upward which made the heiress howl in pain as she stood up on her tippy toes to prevent her arm from being hyperextended. However, this is what Dew wanted as now that Weiss was off balance, she swept her feet from underneath her with a swift kick to the back of her ankle. Gasping, Weiss cried out as she painfully landed on her back as Dew trapped Weiss's wrist against the ground and mounted her where she pressed her full weight onto Weiss's gut.

Releasing an unladylike like retch, the heiress tried to wriggle out from the hold only to widen her eyes when she saw a spear being thrust at her heart. Grunting in exertion, Weiss formed a glyph in her palm and used it to shield her vital organ while conjuring light blue glyphs to push against the spear while using black glyphs to tug on Dew's arms. If the slave was capable of it, she would have contemptuously smirked as she conjured some dust devils behind her and had them blow against her arms like a ferocious storm to counteract Weiss's glyphs. Shouting haggardly as she tried to push the spear away to no avail, the battle slave was taking full advantage of the height and weight difference between them as the tip of the spear shallowly pierced through the glyph and into Weiss's hands. Blake wasn't faring much better as she had to use her semblance and agility just to survive as now she had to fend off kicks from Mercury, dodge crossbow bolts from Nebula, and had to weave around gunfire from Emerald.

Letting a shadow clone take a devastating kick to the knee which would have crippled her, Blake leaped over Mercury and smashed the monkey wrench against his shoulder causing the silver haired assassin to yelp. Just as she landed the attack however, Blake howled in pain as one of Nebula's explosive crossbow bolts slammed into her backside causing the White Fang defector to be catapulted forward. Cursing, Blake righted herself and landed on her feet where she sidestepped a downward kick from Mercury's heel which impacted the ground where she once stood and created crater only to gasp as she felt a chain wrap around her ankle. Crying out as she was tripped up, Blake gritted her teeth when she landed on her face and rolled to the side to avoid a stomp to her skull and flung her monkey wrench at Nebula. Beyond staggering and having her head snap back, Nebula hardly reacted to the blow as she took aim and fired at Blake. Widening her eyes, Blake tried to let a shadow clone take the blow, but Mercury stomped on her Achilles tendon making the huntress yelp as she crashed back to the floor. Knowing she didn't have time to dodge or use her semblance, Blake shielded herself with her arms as best she could and screamed as the explosion shattered her aura and left gnarly, red burn marks on her legs, chest, and arms.

"Nothing personal, kitty cat," Mercury taunted as he reared his foot back and brutally kicked Blake across the face which made her yelp and cough up blood.

Groaning, Blake groggily looked up and saw double as Mercury planted his boot against her throat which made her gag, but still found the strength to glower and hiss at him. Hearing Weiss screech, Blake looked to the side and was horrified to see that half of Dew's spearhead was now sticking out of the Weiss's palm with blood dripping down onto her school uniform like raindrops.

"E and uh...you, take care of the barrier. We'll finish them all off at once," Mercury said which made Emerald roll her eyes while Nebula said nothing as she along with the thief advanced on the barrier.

"Well, we had a good run. If there's another world after this one, meet me at the club," Lacey told her friend who had just regained consciousness and saw just how bad the situation was.

"We can't just give up. Wait, do you think you can use the dust in the bullets to break the barrier and then flood the area with something to slow them down?" Wilma inquired which made the ex-huntress raise a brow only for both of them to wince as bullets and explosive crossbows relentlessly impacted the dome which was already showing cracks.

"You want me to break the only thing protecting us right now? Alright, but I'm going to be out of commission for the rest of the fight," Lacey answered as she tiredly gripped a handful of bullets and focused on the dust inside of them while covering one of her ears with her shoulder.

"How are you doing on aura?" Lacey asked as she shielded Wilma's ears with her tail as more explosive crossbows and bullets slammed into the barrier creating even more cracks.

"I'm fine, I just took a bad hit is all," Wilma replied as she shielded her eyes, but despite this, she still saw the blinding flash of light which destroyed the barrier with a deafening burst akin to a bomb which sent Emerald, Nebula, and Mercury violently tumbling across the floor.

"Lacey, now!" Wilma shouted as she charged at Dew with her arm reared back and strangely, despite seeing the haymaker coming from a mile away, Dew didn't even try to dodge it which earned her a powerful slug across the face.

Grunting as her head snapped to the side and saliva fly from her mouth, Dew spun around and landed on her arm as Lacey filled both her hands with water and earth bullets. Focusing intently, a tidal wave of water and dirt flooded the area leaving everyone waist deep in mud causing Wilma to thank Lacey before hiding her behind some rubble and rushing over to Weiss.

"Thank you," the heiress told Wilma who helped her up as Weiss clutched her stabbed hand and hissed before they both walked over to Blake who was breathing hard and having trouble standing up.

"Not sure how I see this helps us," Blake muttered as she coughed up some water that got in her mouth and wiped her lips with her forearm as Wilma and Weiss helped her stand.

"Well, I thought slowing them down would at least even the playing field!" Wilma huffed as she handed a pipe to Weiss and a monkey wrench to Blake just as Emerald, Mercury, Nebula, and Dew got back to their feet.

"And I'm not hiding this time either!" Wilma snarled at Blake who grumbled, but nodded nonetheless as she charged at Nebula who was unable to pull her crossbow out of the mud and had to switch out for a curved sword.

Weiss, on the other hand, engaged both Emerald and Mercury with the silver haired assassin unable to lift his legs out of the muck, robbing him of his most dangerous weapons and relegating him to just blocking or parrying Blake's blows. Emerald was facing the same problem as she was forced to abandon her weapons in the muck and was now forced to try to use her semblance on the heiress with mixed results. Dew, unperturbed by the loss of her spear, cracked her knuckles and taunted Wilma to come at her causing the girl from Menagerie to sneer and take a stance which she hoped was similar to the one her mother used in her shoot wrestling days.


	22. Chapter 22 Battle of Inches

Ch. 22

Battle of Inches

 _RWBY is the property of its respective owners, Ocs belong to me_

"Think those assassins got cold feet?" Neon asked while swinging her tabok-toyoks at invisible opponents causing Ciel to say nothing as she continued to observe Wilma and Lacey with her binonculars.

"Unknown, but I want to be absolutely sure before calling it a day," Ciel responded as Neon struck the kneecap of one of her invisible enemies and stomped on their head when she envisioned they fell to the ground.

"So, who is Lacey's new friend exactly?" Neon asked as she wrapped one of her flails around the wrist of one her invisible opponent and yanked the limb to off balance them before stabbing the tip of her other flail forward as if she was thrusting it into her foe's adam's apple.

"Wilma Brenton, age 16, hails from Kuo Kuana in Menagerie, used to live in the coastal villages along the shoreline, part of Lacey's fireteam, status uneasy most likely because of Penny's presence," Ciel rattled causing Neon to nod absentmindedly as she continued to practice, but suddenly widened her eyes.

"Wait, Brenton; as in Ainsley Brenton? Part of the Furies in the Sovereign Wrestling League?" Neon asked while practically bouncing on her toes in a giddy, school girl like tone which made Ciel sigh, but nod.

"I believe so," the timekeeper responded as she continued to monitor her targets until Neon tapped her shoulder and extended her hand which made Ciel hand the binoculars over.

"Neon, don't project your one-sided crush on Mrs. Brenton onto Wil-"

"I'm not, I just think it's cool I get to see Wyvern's daughter even if I can't talk to her at the moment," Neon interrupted causing Ciel to say nothing as she scanned the area and found no threats.

"Speaking of crushes, are you and Penny-"

"I was merely ordered to help train her by General Ironwood due to somehow having the patience to put up with you, Lacey, and Cade along with my exceptional performance in the field," Ciel interrupted as Neon handed her the binoculars and went back to striking the air with her flails.

"Then you two are friends-"

"It is strictly a professional relationship and it's too early to say whether or not friendship will factor in," Ciel cut off the roller skater who smiled mischievously and knelt down next to Ciel where she put an arm around her shoulder and poked the timekeeper's cheek which made Ciel irritably stare at her.

"Aw, you say that, but you love her! It's written all over your face!" Neon cooed which made the timekeeper grunt as she along with her former squadmate heard four screams off in the distance causing Ciel to reach into her skirt and pull out a submachine gun from a holster on her thigh.

"Neon, get ready," Ciel ordered causing Neon to nod as she activated the ice dust within her weapons which caused them to glow faintly while the timekeeper fiddled with her watch causing a segmented arm guard to envelop her limb which resembled a gladiator's manica.

"Penny, be on guard. We think the assassins"

Ciel began to say only for blast doors to suddenly come crashing down in the workshop which not only completely blocked her view of Wilma, Lacey, Weiss, and Blake but also cut them off from Penny and Professor Peach.

"Penny, are you alright!? What's going on!?" Ciel demanded, but before she could get an answer Neon suddenly pushed her to the side just as an obsidian arrow whizzed by her head and embedded itself into the wall mere inches from her skull.

Widening her eyes, Ciel aimed her weapon in the direction of the attack just as Neon stepped to the side and brought her stick down on the shaft of a razor sharp arrow flying at her heart. However, the roller skater wasn't expecting it along with the arrow stuck in the wall to explode causing the duo to howl in pain as they were both flung into the air like ragdolls. Regaining consciousness after temporarily blacking out, Neon opened her eyes and held Ciel close to her as they both painfully crashed through the window of the Combat Training Facility. Seeing the floor quickly approaching, the roller skater grabbed Ciel's firearm and fired it downward and then across from where they were going to land which created an impromptu ramp of ice. Clicking her heels together, Neon's shoes turned into roller skates where she skated down the ramp as best she could, but due to the awkward angle they landed coupled their forward momentum, the two huntresses were sent tumbling to the ground as if they were flung from the windshield of a car.

Cursing, Neon along with Ciel came to an abrupt stop where the roller skater groaned miserably and slowly climbed to her feet where she picked up her tabok-toyoks. Sucking in a breathe and stretching her back, Neon rushed over to the timekeeper and knelt down next to her where she gently pushed Ciel's shoulder.

"C'mon, we can't stay out in the open like this," Neon advised while helping Ciel to her feet where she cringed upon seeing that despite her aura not shattering, Ciel still suffered a mild burn on the side of her face.

"Agreed; let's retreat and try to ascertain who exactly we're dealing with," Ciel stated as she picked up her submachine gun and fled into the training facility with Neon in tow as Cinder, Octavia, and Gwen landed on the ground not a moment afterward.

"Shall we go after them, master?" Octavia inquired while readying her undulating, obsidian dagger causing the Fall Maiden to ponder over this request before smirking and shaking her head.

"Not yet, let's make things more difficult for them first," Cinder responded as she took out her scroll and hacked into the CTF's settings where, after considering what scenario to put her targets in, entered a code on her scroll.

Immediately, the plain training arena was turned into a simulated, mountainous area with red leaved trees where a copious amount of tents, oversized armored vehicles, and large, cumbersome airships cropped up from platforms within the ground.

" _Simulation: Battle of Forever Fall. Timeline: Faunus Rights Revolution. Warning: scenario is highly dangerous should only be undertaken by those with proper clearance,"_ the AI advised causing the Fall Maiden to smirk and tap the keyboard on her scroll while Octavia and Gwen continued to remain as still as statues.

" _Clearance granted, safety parameters no longer engaged, enemy targeting parameters adjusted. Suggestion: simulation should be immediately disengaged when enemy combatant's aura falls below recommended levels,"_ the AI suggested which made the fire witch roll her eyes and press a button on the keypad of her scroll.

" _Doors and windows connected to the CTF now closed and reinforced; engaging simulation,"_ the AI stated causing AK-130s to emerge from capsules within the ground where they were shielded with barriers of the different varieties of dust which acted as pseudo-auras of sorts.

Upon activation, some of the droids entered the airships and took off into the skies while others mounted the armored vehicles and drove into the forest while others followed them on foot.

"Now you may go after them," Cinder said causing Octavia and Gwen to grunt as they along with the droids stalked through the simulated forest while Cinder, not wanting to further disappoint Salem, followed her forces.

* * *

"We can hide here," Ciel advised as she and her cohort took cover behind a myriad of black pillars and gray boxes meant to resemble potential cover combatants could use.

"Here, let me look at that," Neon stated as she put her hand on the timekeeper's shoulder and examined the burn wound Ciel suffered before ripping off a portion of her skirt and putting some ice dust on the cloth.

"Hold still," the roller skater ordered as she wrapped the makeshift bandage around Ciel's face causing the timekeeper to unconsciously touch her wound before sighing heavily.

"I should have saw this coming; I mean, we knew-"

"Ciel, stop. Contrary to what you believe, it's _impossible_ to prepare for every possible scenario; the best you can do is adjust when something unexpected happens," Neon sharply interrupted causing Ciel to say nothing as she picked herself up and aimed her firearm where she thought the enemy would come from.

"It's my job to be prepared for whatever happens so if someone gets hurt under my watch, I'm going to be blamed...no matter how much I tried to prevent that from happening," Ciel solemnly responded causing Neon to glance at the timekeeper with a downcast gaze before releasing a breathe and casting Ciel a smile.

"Don't worry, you know I'll tell off any asshole who tries to blame you," Neon assured Ciel who let a small, grateful grin tug at the corner of her lips just as the plain arena turned into a dense, beautiful forest.

"Forever Fall, why simulate-"

" _Simulation: Battle of Forever Fall. Timeline: Faunus Rights Revolution. Warning: scenario is highly dangerous and should only be undertaken by those with proper clearance,"_ the timekeeper began to say only to be cut off by the AI which made the duo curse under their breathe as Ciel beckoned Neon to follow her.

" _Clearance granted, safety parameters no longer engaged, enemy targeting parameters adjusted. Suggestion: simulation should be immediately disengaged when enemy combatant's aura falls below recommended levels."_

"Penny, do you copy? Neon and I are trapped in the CTF with some of the assassins so we need you to break in here and rendezvous at my coordinates," Ciel ordered as she and Neon hid in a building with various pieces of artillery lying around where she and Neon did a quick sweep of the area.

" _Break in? I'm...sorry Mrs. Soleil, but I don't understand-"_

"Penny, do not act ignorant! I saw footage of your skirmish at the docks and witnessed you pulling Vertical Take Off and Landing aircrafts out of the air or bifurcating them with focused beams of light!" Ciel interrupted causing Penny to sigh before voicing her affirmative as the timekeeper heard a loud, faint bang off in the distance.

" _I tried Mrs. Soleil, but the blast doors suffered minimal damage to its structural frame!"_ Penny responded causing Ciel to grit her teeth as she carefully poked her head outside of a window in the building and still saw no enemy movement.

"Focus your fire on the exact spot you hit; you don't need to break down the entire blast door, just that one point you struck," Ciel ordered prompting Penny to say she was combat ready and continued blasting the targeted area on the blast door while capsules containing the training droids started to rise from the ground.

" _Doors and windows connected to the CTF now closed and reinforced; engaging simulation,"_ the AI proclaimed as Neon and Ciel were already going about disabling the robots with precise shots to their cranium or powerful swipes at their chest before they could come online.

"Let's go! We need to get beneath the CTF so we can escape!" Ciel roared as she and Neon ran out of the building just as it was blasted to smithereens by cannon fire.

Gritting her teeth as wooden splinters slammed against her body, Ciel fought through the pain as she and roller skater avoided the hailstorm of bullets as best they could while sprinting up the mountain away from their enemies.

"Never miss a beat, never miss a beat, never miss a beat," Neon chanted as she placed herself behind Ciel to shield her from the oncoming fire where she swiped at any bullets hurtling toward them off to the side, onto the ground, or into the sky.

Ciel, with Neon protecting her, was free to pick her shots where she hit one of the AK-130s which had an ominous, purple light enveloping it in the head. To her horror, the projectile's kinetic energy greatly slowed down before it struck the robot causing the now flattened bullet to harmlessly fall to the ground with the AK-130 suffering minimal damage.

"Our enemy has equipped the AK-130s with dust shields!" Ciel informed the roller skater as she took careful aim and sprayed several rounds at the same robot as this time, the droid slumped to the ground with the light in its dented head blinking erratically.

"Never miss a beat, never miss a beat, never miss a beat," Neon rattled as she suddenly picked up Ciel bridal style and hopped to the side just as a cannonball collided with the spot where the duo once was causing a deafening explosion which sent rubble flying like shrapnel from a grenade.

Gasping, the roller skater tossed Ciel who landed on the ground and rolled to her feet where she continued sprinting while Neon tried to ignore the agonizing ringing in her ears.

"Never...miss a beat, never...miss...a beat, never miss...a beat," Neon growled as she felt lighter than air where Ciel, upon noticing this, put an arm around the roller skater's shoulder and helped her along where they came to a stop at a cliff.

"Alright, let's scale down the cliff and head toward the treeline; that should obscure the AK-130's tracking," Ciel stated causing the roller skater to give a pained nod as both were about to jump off...until a myriad of bulky, box like aircrafts suddenly hovered into view with their machine guns and cannons at the ready.

"NEVER MISS A BEAT!" Neon roared as time seemed to slow down as she tightly wrapped her arms around Ciel's waist and cycled a vial of fire dust into one of her weapons where it superheated the ice dust

Just as the ice dust suddenly turned into vapor, Neon swung the bottom section of her flail at the ground where it burst like a bomb sending the roller skater and the timekeeper flying toward the nearest airship. Seeing a volley of cannonballs flying at them, Neon twisted around as much of them as she could while Ciel shot some of them with gravity dust which made them float harmlessly up into the air. However, they were simply too many for the duo to account for along with the fact that bullets continuously pounded away at their auras with Ciel and Neon unable to do anything but endure and hope their auras held which ended up costing them dearly. Seeing a round shot the size of a bowling ball hurtling toward them, Neon twisted to the side to avoid it, but the cannonball still viciously scraped against her shoulder which made the roller skater howl in agony as she felt as if the appendage was shattered into dust. As much as Ciel wanted to help, she couldn't as she saw one of the heavy projectiles flying at her face causing her eyes to widen before activating the earth dust within her manica.

Almost immediately, a tough, sturdy stone enveloped the arm guard causing the timekeeper to place her manica in front of her, tightly grit her teeth, and use her other hand to brace. Not a second after she did this, the round shot impacted the manica with a sickening crack causing Ciel to wail as while the combination of her aura, earth dust, and armguard stopped the projectile, the timekeeper didn't escape unscathed. When the cannonball connected with her manica, the cannonball slammed her arm back into her face making Ciel's head violently snap back as the stone covering her arm guard broke nigh instantaneously which viciously drove razor sharp earthen shards and metallic spikes into her arm. Worst of all, her forearm completely broke from the strain where it hung limply like a noodle. Crashing into the some of the droids on the airship, the duo tumbled across the ground where Neon's already wounded shoulder was aggravated further when she awkwardly landed arm first. Screaming as the ball of her shoulder popped out of its socket, Neon and Ciel caved in the heads of the robots they crashed into and used them as shields where they were perforated with hot lead.

" _ **Faunus Revolutionaries have infiltrated the ship; all units within proximity switch to small arms fire and close combat protocols,"**_ one of the AK-130s ordered causing it and its cohorts to shift one arm to a machine gun and the other to a wicked, crimson blade.

"Neon, on three!" Ciel shouted while gesturing a pushing motion at the droids they were using as shields causing the roller skater to nod before wincing as a bullet grazed her thigh which ripped some of the flesh off.

With a war cry, the duo shoved their meat shields at the AK-130s who were pinned underneath the bodies of their comrades causing Ciel to spray her entire clip into every one of them which, while it didn't pierce the dust shield, it did cave in their heads which rendered the robots inert. Neon handled the stragglers by skating around them and seamlessly weaved around any bullets fired at her despite her injuries where she whacked them on the side of their knees with her flail which forced them to the ground. Yelling in exertion, the roller skater brutally struck one on the side of its head and using the momentum, spun around and bashed another droid on the crown of its skull causing its skull to depress in on itself. Before the duo could catch their breathe, they both gasped and collapsed on the ground as the airship suddenly took a nose dive where a single AK-130, with one of its arms mysteriously gone, emerged from the flight deck and opened fire on them causing the duo to sprawl to the ground. Climbing to her feet, Neon skated toward the droid and swung her flail at its ribs which the AK-130 bashed away from itself by slamming its forearm against the weapon causing the flail to wildly fly off to the side. However, instead of being off balanced, Neon spun with the impetus and struck the side of the droid's knee which caused the robot to buckle before collapsing on its leg. Flowing with the energy, the roller skater struck the back of its head causing the robot's skull to crumple like sheet metal as it fell to the floor with the cyan light in its faceplate flickering wildly as Ciel rushed to the flight deck.

"No, no! It locked the controls, we're on a collision course!" Ciel shouted where Neon, upon joining her friend in the flight deck, saw that the AK-130's missing arm was jammed into the control wheel which prevented either of them from stopping the airship's rapid descent toward the ground.

"BRACE!" Ciel roared as Neon repeatedly slammed her flail onto the ground which formed a dome of ice barely big enough to accommodate them.

Huddling close to each other, Ciel and Neon shut their eyes as the airship crashed to the ground at full speed causing the vessel to violently crumple and rip apart like paper where it uncontrollably rolled across the ground with an earthshaking thud. Nearby airships quickly touched down where the occupants disembarked from their vessels and approached the wreckage where a group of three robots walked toward what remained of the cockpit. Just as one of them was about to pry open the door which would have revealed a badly bloodied Ciel and Neon, they were fired at from cliff causing the robots to abandon their task and take cover behind the wreckage.

" _ **Human Counter-Revolutionaries spotted; initiating offensive,"**_ the horde of AK-130s atop the cliff proclaimed as it along with its cohorts unleashed a deadly storm of bullets and explosive cannonballs upon the other group of droids.

" _ **Faunus Revolutionaries sighted; engaging,"**_ the swarm of AK-130s which were on the ground declared as they returned fire as Ciel's fingers twitched before she groggily opened her eyes and saw Neon lying a few feet away completely motionless.

Groaning, the timekeeper tried to move her body, but her limbs felt like they weighed a ton as she saw the door being lit up like a wildfire before it melted like wax revealing Cinder, Octavia, and Gwen on the other side. Gritting her teeth as Cinder formed a bow and two arrows from the dust woven in her clothing, all Ciel could do was glare at the Fall Maiden who smugly smirked back at her before letting the arrows fly. Time seemed to slow down as Ciel was frozen in terror where Gwen tightly gnashed her teeth and shook her head as, for the time being, the glazed over expression in her eyes disappeared. Acting fast, Gwen tossed two throwing knives at the projectiles which intercepted the arrows and knocked them off course, but Ciel still screamed as the quarrel grazed her scalp and shaved off a decent chunk of flesh.

"You dare!?" Cinder roared before she yelped as crescent wave of fire crashed into her backside which catapulted her forward and caused her to crash against the hard, unforgiving wall with a loud, gruesome bang.

Groaning, Cinder grasped her head where she suddenly felt the cold chill of steel being pressed against her throat causing her to glare at Octavia who looked back at her with a fierce, defiant glower of her own.

"I don't know what you did to us, but you're going to fix it, now!" Octavia shouted with Gwen vehemently nodding in agreement while a particular Atlesian soldier snuck onto the flight deck through a giant, gaping hole.

"You children need to learn your place; you don't give orders, you follow them!" the Fall Maiden yelled as she began imposing more of her will upon Octavia and Gwen who tightly grit their teeth and scrunched their brows.

Seeing Tai hoist Ciel and Neon onto her shoulders out of the corner of her eye, Gwen motioned for her to run causing Cinder to turn on a dime and curse when she saw Tai jogging toward a vehicle she appropriated. Hastily forming a bow and arrow, the fire witch took aim...only for Octavia to tackle her against the wall and stab at her throat with her dagger. Grimacing, Cinder bashed her forearm against Octavia's forearm causing the thrust to go careening off to the side before fully focusing on getting her battle slaves under control which, unfortunately for her, meant she had to let Tai, Ciel, and Neon escape. Screaming in pain, Octavia and Gwen collapsed on their knees where, to Cinder's surprise, their eyes turned a shade of crimson not unlike a Grimm, their skin turned a slight, ghostly hue, and red, pulsating veins formed alongside their face similar to Salem. Feeling the huntresses fighting against her with everything they had, Cinder released a haggard breathe as streams of sweat poured down her brow where, after what seemed like an eternity, Octavia and Gwen went completely still. Taking in deep, heavy breathes, Cinder put her hands on her knees as Octavia and Gwen, with their eyes glazed over, rose to their feet and bowed to the Fall Maiden as if she were a monarch.

" _They can't be my sleeper agents now with how they look! I'll have to talk to mistress and inquire more about this new power and if this is the end result of exerting all of your will upon someone,"_ Cinder mused as she silently gestured for Octavia and Gwen to follow her to which the duo immediately did in a robot like fashion.

* * *

Screaming as she was flung like a ragdoll, Wilma slid across the mud face first before coming to a stop where she spat out some of the goop that got in her mouth and wiped her face with her forearm before glaring at her opponent. Getting up, she raised her fists where, much to her confusion, it looked like Dew was fighting with everything she had to remain rooted to the spot instead of pressing the attack. Pushing the thought aside, Wilma charged at Dew where she dipped her hand into the mud and flung the sludge onto Dew's face when she was a few feet away from her. Grunting, Dew instinctively rose her hands to her face causing Wilma, while Dew was distracted, to lunge at her and put the huntress in what she hoped was an arm triangle. Growling, the girl from Menagerie pounded Dew's ribs with powerful body shots making the battle slave surprisingly wince as Dew wrapped her arm around her foe's waist and then placed her leg behind Wilma's leg.

Stepping outside of Wilma's guard in a semi-circular motion, Wilma's tight grip on Dew's neck turned out to be her undoing as she yelped and suddenly found herself lying on her butt with the battle slave behind her. Throwing an elbow into Dew's gut which made the huntress grimace, Wilma released her hold on the battle slave and tried to scurry away to gain a better position, but she made the mistake of turning her back on Dew. Pouncing on her opponent like a puma, Dew put Wilma in a rear naked choke and firmly wrapped her legs around her waist, pinning one of Wilma's arms against her side, before falling backwards.

" _Please, someone stop me! I don't want to kill her!"_ Dew pleaded within her own mind, but as expected her mouth remained shut as she saw Wilma desperately gasping for air while wildly flailing her limbs.

" _Forgive me,"_ Dew apologized as although her outward expression remained blank, a single tear fell down her face as Wilma was beginning to weaken, but by a stroke of luck, her hand made contact with Dew's head.

Feeling a sense of renewed strength, Wilma grasped a patch of Dew's hair and yanked which made the battle slave hiss as her face was slammed against her opponent's tough, sturdy antler. Gnashing her teeth, Wilma tugged Dew's head to the side which made Dew, for the first time since she joined the battle, to scream as her eyes were viciously raked against her enemy's antlers. Feeling Dew's grip loosen on her neck, Wilma seized the opportunity and threw a stiff elbow into the battle slave's liver. Dry heaving, Dew released her hold on Wilma who turned her body and sat on the huntress's chest where she firmly grasped the side of Dew's head. Sucking in a breathe, Wilma smashed her forehead against Dew's skull causing the battle slave to wince and fight with everything she had to take the blow instead of blocking it like the programming dictated her to do.

Grimacing with each headbutt along with the fact that Wilma's antlers were scraping her flesh, Dew continued to not defend herself for as long as she could until the glazed over expression in her eyes returned. Seamlessly passing the next headbutt past her guard, the battle slave cupped Wilma's chin and brutally smashed her elbow against her opponent's ear while using her hips for momentum. Howling in pain as she tumbled into the mud, Wilma vomited the contents of her stomach into the muck and tightly clasped her ear where felt as if a bomb just went off in it. Taking a moment to massage her forehead, Dew stood up where she blankly regarded her foe, but internally she was a mess of emotions.

" _Please, run away, hit me, ask your friends for help, anything!"_ Dew begged, but no sound came out as she saw, to her horror, her body rip off the leg of the table and hold it like an improvised dagger.

"No, leave her alone," Lacey helplessly croaked as she wanted more than anything to help, but her body refused to budge as Dew stood over Wilma where the best she could do to resist was make her body take its time in executing her.

Fortunately, Blake kicked Dew away just in time causing the battle slave to grunt as she collided with the wall where the ninja checked on her ally and cursed when she saw that Wilma barely knew where she was anymore. Gritting her teeth as Dew and Nebula walked toward her, Blake tightened her grip on her weapon and sprang into action as Wilma suddenly heard Weiss cry out. With herculean effort, Wilma turned her head and saw through her blurry vision Weiss tiredly stab at empty air despite Mercury being right in front of her. This misstep allowed the assassin to land a swift, powerful palm strike to her nose which made Weiss yelp as her head snapped back. Forcing down the pain, Weiss, who was running on fumes, sidestepped a punch from her opponent and to Wilma's befuddlement, swiped behind her despite Mercury being on her side.

" _It's that hallucination girl from Mountain Glenn; she's messing with her head!"_ Wilma realized causing her to gnash her teeth and climb to her knees despite feeling like vomiting again.

"Weiss, that girl with the White Fang mask uses hallucinations to mess with your head!" Wilma shouted at the top of her lungs which earned her a stiff, backward hammerfist from Nebula sending Wilma crashing back down into the mud.

Hearing this, Weiss leaned her head back from an elbow strike, but this time focused intently before counter attacking as what she perceived to be Mercury shattered like glass revealing the actual one throwing a punch to her body. Dipping to the side, Weiss thrust the tip of her pipe into the assassin's chest making Mercury curse as the heiress released a haggard breathe before pressing the attack with a flurry of stabs and swipes. Meanwhile, Blake took Nebula's attention away from Wilma by having her clone rush forward and swing its monkey wrench at her causing Nebula to bring her sword up. To Nebula's surprise, the clone dissipated upon impact causing the battle slave to furiously survey the battlefield to find Blake. Out of the corner of her eye, Nebula saw the ninja coming at her from the side with a strike aimed at her liver causing the battle slave to begin to turn away from the blow and start to swing her sword at the weapon.

However, Nebula suddenly felt something yank her sword arm down along with feeling her legs being pressed together causing the battle slave to glance at the offender and saw Wilma sandwiching her ankles between her thighs while trapping her sword arm underneath her armpits in an iron grip. Unable to block or turn her body away, Nebula absorbed the full force of the blow where at first, all she did was widen her eyes which dilated to the size of pennies. The next moment, however, the unbearable, searing pain washed over her like a tidal wave which made Nebula scream bloody murder and crumple onto all fours where she clutched her liver and desperately tried to catch her breathe. Sighing in relief, Blake sent a quick, grateful nod at Wilma for the assist who weakly nodded before collapsing into the mud as the ninja saw Weiss tiring.

"Weiss, switch with me!" Blake yelled as her clone feinted a downward swing at Dew's skull while the real Blake thrust her weapon at the huntress's heart, but Dew was ready as she ignored the clone and focused on the real thing.

Stepping outside Blake's guard and pushing her arm away, Dew firmly grasped Blake's forearm and struck her ear with a swift palm heel strike. Hissing, Blake staggered slightly which Dew took advantage of by straightening out the ninja's arm and smashing her elbow down on the joint which knocked the monkey wrench from the ninja's grasp and made Blake scream as she lost all feeling in the limb. Crumpling to her knees in a daze, Blake breathed haggardly before turning around and elbowing Dew in the hip making the battle slave wince as Blake then slugged Dew in the kidney. Gagging, Dew collapsed causing Blake to tackled her to the ground making Dew cough as her head was dunked underneath the mud. However, when she tried to raise her head up, Blake grabbed her neck and shove her back down into the muck which made Dew retch as more of the muck went down her throat. Holding her breathe despite the great urge to take try and take in some air, Dew grasped the side of Blake's hands where she yanked the ninja's hands aside by using her arms and shoulders which made Blake uncontrollably fall forward.

Taking advantage of this, Dew wrapped her arms around Blake's neck in an arm triangle and used her hips for momentum to send them rolling to the side. Lying on top of Blake, Dew hacked up the mud that entered her mouth before forcing the ninja's head down into the muck causing Blake to gag before jamming her thumb into Dew's eye. Hissing, Dew applied pressure on the arteries on the side of Blake's neck which completely cut off the blood flow to her brain causing Blake to spasm before going limp almost instantaneously. Apologizing to Blake in her head, Dew lifted her out of the mud so she wouldn't drown despite her programming ordering her otherwise and placed Blake against the wall just as Wilma, who had recovered somewhat, shakily climbed to her feet. Stating an apology within her head, Dew elbowed Wilma's injured ear making her foe wail and fall back into the mud like a sack of potatoes where she upchucked yet again.

Seeing both Blake and Wilma out of the fight, Weiss glared at her enemies where she gracefully danced around gunfire from Emerald and pushed Mercury away with a light blue glyph where he landed on his back. Chuckling, the silver haired assassin rose to his feet with Emerald and now that Blake and Wilma were neutralized, Dew causing the heiress to nervously grit her teeth and tighten her grip on her improvised weapon.

"Well, looks like your friends weren't so tough after all. Tell you what, if you give up, we'll make your death hurt a lot less," Mercury taunted prompting Weiss to sneer as she let out an exhausted breathe and pointed her pipe at him while her legs looked like they were going to give out at any moment.

Although it was only for a few seconds, it seemed like an eternity as neither group was willing to make the first move before Mercury charged forward with a punch, Emerald fired off several shots in succession at Weiss while throwing her chained kama at her feet, and Dew lunged at the heiress trying to get her in a side bearhug. Remaining calm, Weiss backflipped over the bullets causing them to hit Mercury who fell on his back and then thrust a light blue glyph at Dew's face causing the battle slave to cry out as she fell backward, but the momentum carried her forward causing Dew to land face first in the mud. Not letting up, Weiss conjured several white glyphs around Emerald and sped around them where she appeared to be a white blur as the thief defended as best she could, but the heiress was simply too fast. Screaming as Weiss kicked the side of her knee, stabbed her chest, viciously planted the bottom of her heel on her nose, and then roundhouse kicked her across the face in quick succession, Emerald tumbled across the muck like she was hit by a car. Advancing on Emerald, Weiss suddenly felt her whole body seize up in excruciating pain making her grit her teeth and take a few baby steps forward before she collapsed on her side.

"No more gas left in the tank?" Mercury quipped which made the heiress growl as he along with his two comrades loomed over Weiss where Emerald, wanting to get some pay back, pointed her pistol at Weiss's head.

Before the thief could finish her off, the window above suddenly shattered with a loud crash where something splashed into the mud causing Mercury and Emerald to look at each other and ready themselves.

"Who's-"

Mercury started to say only for the lights to shut off leaving everyone in complete darkness save for the sunlight seeping in from the broken window which made the assassin laugh mockingly.

"You're not scaring anyone! Come on out or these deaths are on you!" Mercury threatened, but the only answer he got was the silence of the abyss causing him to kick Weiss across the face and plant his boot on the back of her head with a bullet ready to fire.

Following his lead, Emerald flung her chained kama at Wilma's antler and pulled the girl toward her where she wrapped an arm around Wilma's neck and pointed her gun at her head.

"I'm not kidding, we're going to blow their brains out and then we're going to come after you! It makes no difference to me whether or not we have to kill one extra person to get the job done!" Mercury shouted as Dew hoisted Blake up who had just regained consciousness and pressed the edge of Nebula's obsidian sword against the ninja's neck.

Even with this threat, all he got was silence causing Mercury to chuckle softly as he was about to fire only for several bony flechettes to suddenly embed themselves into his prosthetic legs and the sides of Emerald's pistols rendering the firearms unable to shoot. Recoiling, the duo looked at one another while Dew gasped as her blade was knocked from her hands by a dart making her grasp her wrist before the breathe in her mouth and Emerald's hitched as a Menhitte slowly rose from the muck behind Mercury. Feeling his instincts screaming at him, Mercury threw a punch behind him only for Exile to simultaneously catch his punch and clamp a giant hand around his neck making the young man gag before he was carried off toward the darkness with Emerald and Dew helpless to do anything. Cringing as they heard bones being cracked, flesh being torn asunder, and metal being sheared, Emerald and Dew stared straight ahead with wide eyes where even Weiss felt pity for Mercury as the savage beating continued before it suddenly stopped leaving everyone in complete, dead silence.

"M?" Emerald ventured in a voice barely above a whisper and for a moment, everything was quiet with no noise being heard except one's breathe before Mercury, bloodied and beaten, was thrown at her feet.

Covering her mouth when she saw the extent of his injuries, she nearly hurled as she saw that both of his prosthetic legs were ripped off, all of the the fingers on one of his hands were bitten off, the fingers on the other hand were horrifically mangled, his arms were snapped in half, many chunks of flesh were savagely bitten off, one of his eyes was clawed out, and a copious amount of gruesome claw marks marring his entire body. Falling on her butt, Emerald was completely petrified as Exile stepped into the light while Dew, staring at the mangled form of Mercury, screamed at the top of her lungs as glazed over look in completely disappeared. All the former battle slave could think of was the horrific sight in front of her which caused Cinder's will, the programming dictating her to obey the Fall Maiden, to be pushed back deep into the recess of her mind. Unable to help it, Dew wept uncontrollably and covered her head as the Elder Grimm sniffed the air where her ears perked up as finally, after an exhausting search, found who she was looking for. Trudging toward Wilma and Lacey, Exile coughed up the bone holding the parchment she was to deliver and took it out when the Snow Born known as Weiss and the Beast Girl known as Blake protectively placed themselves in front of them.

"You stay back!" Weiss roared as she picked up Nebula's obsidian sword and pointed it at the Elder Grimm while Blake brandished her monkey wrench and pipe like she would with Gambol Shroud causing Exile to resist the urge to roll her eyes.

Holding her hands up in a non-threatening gesture, she handed the note to Weiss who warily took it from the Elder Grimm where she read through its contents while Blake never took her eyes off of Exile.

"Wilma, Lacey, this note is from two people called Ashanti and Gates. Do you know them?" Weiss inquired while keeping her eyes on the Elder Grimm as Nebula crawled toward Mercury and placed two fingers on his throat.

"They're our friends; they can't contact us using their scrolls since the White Fang hacked our comm channel," Lacey verified causing the heiress to grunt as she walked over to the ex-huntress and handed her the letter while Nebula cheered internally when she couldn't find a pulse.

"Alright then," Weiss replied as Nebula hoisted Emerald onto her shoulder who threw a smoke bomb down as the janitor that Cinder paid off tossed down a rope ladder and hoisted the duo out of the workshop.

Before they left, however, Nebula and Dew locked eyes with each other where the leader of Team NDGO blankly stared at her friend with her glazed over eyes before shamefully looking away. Feebly reaching out to her, Dew's shoulders slumped in defeat where she didn't even react when her limbs and neck were shackled by white glyphs. Growling under her breathe, Blake loomed over Dew with her piercing, yellow eyes glaring daggers at the huntress while Exile tended to Wilma and Lacey's wounds.

"Start talking! Did Adam send you? Is he in Vale right now!?" Blake roared while holding her monkey wrench overhead, but all the Dew did was continue to sob and breathe erratically.

"Blake, look at her. She's in no condition to tell us anything," Lacey pointed out which made the ninja grit her teeth as Exile removed some cloth from Wilma's shirt and wrapped it around her injured ear like a bandage.

Snorting, Blake put a hand on her chin and pondered what exactly she could do before Exile trudged toward Dew which snapped the huntress out of her stupor as she tried to scramble away from the Elder Grimm while wailing at the top of her lungs. Rolling her eyes, Exile grasped Dew's head and ignited her black smoke which allowed her to glean at the negative emotions Dew experienced. Closing her eyes, the Elder Grimm focused and saw the light-wielder with three other girls before raising a brow as she saw the light-wielder along with her pride mates suddenly yelp and clutch their heads. Tilting her head, Exile paid close attention to this as Dew and her pride mates continued to shout in pain before everything went dark which made the Elder Grimm growl irritably. Whatever seemed to be attacking them shut down their emotions which rendered Exile's ability to glean information from this particular event useless.

Grunting, the Elder Grimm fast forwarded to the battle that took place where, to her surprise, she felt desperation and horror coming from Dew as she heard her begging the Snow Born and the Beast Girl to stop her. Releasing her grip on Dew's head, Exile immediately came to the conclusion of mind control which disturbed, but didn't surprise the Elder Grimm. Shaking her head upon remembering how she use to be in a similar situation, Exile walked back toward Wilma and Lacey where she resumed treating their injuries prompting Dew to sigh in relief.

" _This light-wielder's mind was taken control of, but I don't know by whom. Most likely, it was the fire witch or as you may know her, Cinder, who serves my former master, the Witch, or as humans call her, Salem. Also, yes, I can talk; all Elder Grimm can with varying levels of articulation. Get over it,"_ Exile explained, but it didn't take away the surprise factor as Wilma, Lacey, Weiss, Blake, and Dew stared at the Elder Grimm in shock.

Rolling her eyes, Exile finished patching up Wilma who, after getting over her surprise, thanked the Elder Grimm who nodded as her ears perked up and the negative emotions she felt flooded her senses.

" _The fire witch is nearby along with the brainwashed light-wielder's pride mates,"_ Exile stated as she approached the blast door and in a move that made everyone gag, vomited a stream of boiling hot blood onto the barricade which melted a giant hole big enough to accommodate the Elder Grimm.

" _Snow Born, Beast Girl, stay here and attend to Wilma and Lacey. Before you say anything, no, neither of you can come as both you are wounded and need to recover. You can, however, summon your other pride mates and have them act in your stead,"_ the Elder Grimm suggested as she squeezed past the hole and sprinted toward the biggest source of negative emotion leaving Weiss and Blake to process what just happened before they both glowered at Dew.

Glancing at Weiss, Blake nodded ever so slightly which made the heiress grumble, but nevertheless dissipated the glyphs holding Dew in place causing the former battle slave to confusedly look around before climbing to her feet.

"Don't even think about trying anything or else Blake and I will make you regret it!" Weiss snapped with Blake nodding in agreement causing the former battle slave to hold up her hands in a placating gesture, grin nervously, and nod meekly.

"Don't worry, I can't summon my dust devils without my spear and even if I could, testing you two isn't even the last thing I'd do," Dew joked in an attempt to alleviate the tension, but all Weiss did was huff and walk toward Wilma and Lacey while Blake gestured at them with her head.

"Bad joke, bad joke," Dew mumbled as she trudged toward Wilma and Lacey with Blake watching her every move where she helped bandage Lacey's wounds.


End file.
